


I Know Places

by amirellani



Series: for me, it's always you [2]
Category: Actor RPF, American Actor RPF, Marvel Cinematic Universe RPF
Genre: Airports, Captain America: Civil War Press Tour, Couch Sex, Dating, Dildos, Dogs, Drama, Established Relationship, Explicit Language, F/M, Family Dinners, Fluff, Hand Jobs, I am the absolute worst at tagging, Minor Injuries, More Fluff, Mutual Masturbation, New Relationship, News Media, Oral Sex, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Paparazzi, Sexual Content, Social Media, The fluffiest fluff, Veterinary Clinic, Webcam/Video Chat Sex, gratuitous disney references, pet hedgehogs, terrible pun nicknames, they've known each other for a long time it really could be both
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-07
Updated: 2016-09-13
Packaged: 2018-08-13 14:44:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 36,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7980379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amirellani/pseuds/amirellani
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>With the Civil War press tour sending Chris around the world, Mackenzie is left to hold down the fort in Boston after their fledgling relationship becomes public knowledge.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welp, here it is. The first chapter of what is a nearly 40k-long sequel to Never Mind. I've finished it already, so I'll have the other chapters up within a couple of days. I've been working on this for months and I am ridiculously, insanely glad that I have finished it because it means I can go back to focusing on other things. Finally.  
> Anyway, I’ve done my best to fit everything in around the dates of events – I actually have a timeline spreadsheet to keep track of it all – and I hope I haven’t made any silly overlaps, but hey, it’s fiction, so if I have… oh well.  
> ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯  
> Title blatantly borrowed from the Taylor Swift song. Basically the premise of this entire story. #sorrynotsorry

Mackenzie had known, from the moment she blurted out to Chris how she felt about him, that things would change between them. She’d thought things would become awkward; that their friendship would suffer, and they’d drift apart until eventually a day would come where they’d speak to each other for the last time. That had been what she’d prepared herself for, from the minute she’d realised she had feelings for Chris. She hadn’t allowed herself to hope that, maybe, he just might feel the same way.

So it came as a bit of shock, when she really thought about it, how little things did end up changing.

Sure, they were sleeping together now. That had changed. They’d always been very tactile with each other, but any limits they’d had seemed to fly straight out the window. Mackenzie struggled – and failed – to keep her hands to herself, and Chris didn’t even bother trying. There was no risk of crossing a line they couldn’t come back from anymore, because they’d already done it.

They were in deep. It was frightening how much she loved him, and she knew Chris was just as scared.

He flew out Sunday morning for the Academy Awards, flew back late Monday night, and Mackenzie came home the next day to find him in her living room, on the phone. His face was pale, his eyes ringed in red, and she could hear that his breathing wasn’t as steady as it should’ve been. Biting her lip, Mackenzie walked past the living room and into her bedroom, wanting to give Chris the space he clearly needed. Fighting through her own flare of panic as she changed out of her scrubs, she didn’t notice him approaching until he was right behind her, spinning her around to face him and kissing her more gently, deeply – _lovingly_ – than she’d thought to be possible.

When they broke apart for air, he searched her face with red-rimmed, water-sparkling blue eyes, and she stared right back at him. If it weren’t for how badly her lungs were crying out for oxygen, Mackenzie might not have dared to breathe as she waited for Chris to say something.

“I didn’t mean for you to see that,” he confessed, his voice echoing in the room. “I was waiting for you to get home and – my brain got a little noisy. Everything happened so quickly before I left. I had to talk to Ma.”

Mackenzie nodded, worried about where this was going.

“I love you, so much,” he said bluntly. “So much that it’s fucking terrifying, you know? We said it that night but – I mean it, Mack. You’re it for me, you really are. I can’t see there being anyone else. And I just got a little overwhelmed so I called Ma – she knows we’re together now, by the way, I hope that’s okay, you might want to call your mom because I don’t think it’ll be long before Ma does to squeal about us finally getting our act together and – mmph!”

Almost on autopilot, Mackenzie reached up and covered Chris’s mouth with her hand. He blinked at her indignantly.

“You think too much,” she told him sternly, but she smiled cautiously. “What did she say?”

“To get out of my head, stop thinking so much, this is a good thing, and don’t fuck it up because if I break your heart she’ll never speak to me again,” he recited ruefully, eyes crinkling when Mackenzie giggled. “She likes you the most, it’s not fair.”

Her giggles became outright laughter for just a moment, but then she sobered. She reached up, cupping Chris’s bearded face and smoothing her thumb across his cheekbone.

“We’re not going to fuck this up,” said Mackenzie seriously. “I told you, you’re it for me too, and we’re going to make this work. So you just tell your noisy brain to shut up, okay?”

Chris nodded, covering her hand with his own against his cheek. His callused fingertips moved over the back of her hand, bullying their way between the dips of her knuckles to entwine his fingers with hers. He brought their clasped hands to his lips and pressed a soft kiss to Mackenzie’s fingers.

Then, because Chris was incredibly skilled at being immature, he blew a loud, wet, sloppy raspberry against her fingers. Squealing, she snatched her hand away from him and wiped it on his shirt. She punched him in the stomach, but the blow barely registered against his laughter-heaving abs.

“Ew!” she exclaimed. “Chris! That’s gross!”

“Hey, I seem to recall you _like_ having my mouth on you!” he retorted.

Flushing bright red, Mackenzie tried to punch him again. He was ready for her this time, catching her fist in his larger hand. He pushed her backwards, until her legs knocked against the bed and she fell back onto the mattress. Chris went with her, trapping her beneath his body.

“That’s – completely different!” protested Mackenzie weakly, staring up at him as he hovered above her. “You’re such an asshole, Christopher, oh my God, I can’t believe I put up with you.”

“Eh, I don’t think it’s that different,” he remarked casually. “And you know you love me.”

“Yeah, I do, but that’s –”

Anything else Mackenzie had been planning to say was swallowed up by the kiss Chris planted on her. When he eventually, reluctantly, dragged his mouth off hers, he beamed at her and winked. It was soon all she could do to focus on her breathing as he set about reminding her exactly why she liked having his mouth on her.

* * *

“So I finally had the chance to call my Mom last night,” announced Mackenzie, flopping onto the couch.

They’d officially been together for a week now, but it felt like so much longer. They’d clicked, from the moment Chris had stepped into the clinic with East. The kissing, and activities that came after the kissing, hadn’t changed that connection. She wasn’t sure what Chris did while she was at work, or if he even went back to his own apartment. But she did know that coming home had taken on an entirely new meaning for her when she knew he would be there waiting.

They’d made it back to Saturday. With Mackenzie having the day off again, they alternated between spending their time between the sheets and lounging around the house with Daisy. Neither of them felt much like cooking, so they’d ordered pizza. For the first time ever, Chris won their argument over whether or not to get anchovies on half. He threatened to withhold his kisses if Mackenzie had anchovy breath, and she admitted defeat almost instantly.

“Yeah?” Chris hummed curiously, dropping down next to her and pulling her against his side. She nodded.

“Yeah. And you know what the first thing she said to me was?”

“What?”

“ _You better be calling to tell me what I’ve been waiting to hear you say for the last seven years, Mackenzie Beth, or I’m hanging up right now_ ,” she said, her voice pitched higher than usual as she imitated her mother.

Chris burst out laughing, clapping a hand to his chest, and Mackenzie rolled her eyes at him. Reaching for the remote, she began flipping through channels to find something to watch.

“I love your Mom,” he finally said, a little breathlessly. “She’s great.”

“You love her because you gang up on me,” she complained half-heartedly, and poked him in the ribs. He squawked, swatting at her hand.

“You make it so easy, Macaroni,” teased Chris. “It’s not like you and Ma don’t do the exact same thing to me.”

“At least I never stuck a banana up my ass for a movie,” she retorted.

“Ouch,” he winced, but grinned. “Low blow. But I still think I win.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes, really,” Chris insisted. “Ma was with Carly when I called to tell her we got together. She put me on speakerphone and had me repeat it before she talked me down.”

“Why?” asked Mackenzie, frowning. She was still looking for something they could watch.

“Because they had a bet going. Ma won twenty bucks.”

Mackenzie snorted. “Okay, yeah, you win.”

She grinned at Chris, and stretched up to kiss him. Then she opened up Netflix. For a moment he just watched, but then he realised what she was searching for. He immediately began wrestling her for the remote.

“No. Nu-uh, no way. We are not watching _Teen Movie_.”

“Oh, come on!” whined Mackenzie. “You’re adorable in it! With that dark hair, and the cocky attitude, and the whipped cream –”

“ _No_.”

“Fine,” she huffed. “You pick.”

Mackenzie really wasn’t that surprised when the opening scenes of a Disney animated movie started to scroll across her television. It was completely Chris, and completely predictable. Settling more comfortably on the couch, she rested her head on his chest.

This was exactly how things were supposed to be.

* * *

In hindsight, Mackenzie realised she should have been suspicious when she received the first text message. It wasn’t even a proper message, just a sprawl of emojis – hearts and winking faces blowing kisses at her – and in the ten seconds she had between appointments, she shot back at him with _Dork_. His response, a mixture of blushing and halo emojis, went unread until she clocked out of work. Rolling her eyes, she didn’t bother replying. There was no point. She’d be home in less than twenty minutes.

When she did get home, she kissed him on the cheek and disappeared into the bedroom to change into her running clothes. Daisy was waiting impatiently for her at the door, tail thumping loudly against the polished floorboards. Mackenzie clipped the dog into her harness, calling out to Chris that she’d be back in half an hour. He called back an acknowledgement just before Daisy pulled her out the front door.

When Mackenzie returned, she was sporting a healthy flush and Daisy was panting heavily. Unclipping the dog, she sniffed the air and followed the scent into the kitchen. Chris was hovering at the stove, half-looking at a cookbook and half-staring into a wok.

“Chris? What are you – are you cooking?” Mackenzie asked incredulously. She walked up behind him, looping her arms around his waist and peering around him to see what he doing. Chris nodded.

“Yes, I am,” he said cheerfully, twisting around to kiss Mackenzie. “Honey soy chicken stir-fry.”

“That’s one of my favourites,” said Mackenzie, surprised. Her eyes narrowed, and she stepped back from Chris. The emoji messages, the cooking… “What did you do, Christopher?”

Looking wounded, he pouted at her.

“Come on, who says I did anything?”

Mackenzie responded by folding her arms across her chest, and Chris sighed. He took the wok off the burner and turned off the stove.

“Okay. Mack. Babe.”

He reached out to her, taking one of her hands in his. Raising an eyebrow, she let Chris pull her towards the door that led out to the porch and backyard. He paused, hand resting on the handle, and looked at Mackenzie seriously.

“Remember how you asked if I’d considered getting another dog?”

Mackenzie felt her jaw drop, and she peered around Chris. There was another dog in her yard, sitting on the porch. The retriever mix, a blend of white and copper fur, was staring at them. His tail was wagging lazily, tongue lolling out of his mouth.

“You got a dog.”

“Kinda, yeah?” said Chris sheepishly.

“You got a _dog_ ,” Mackenzie repeated slowly.

Nudging Chris out of the way, she opened the porch door. The dog bounded inside happily, circling around their legs, and she knelt to pet him.

“His name is Dodger.”

Looking up at Chris, Mackenzie blinked.

“Oh my God. You totally named him after the dog from that movie – _Oliver and Company_!”

“I – did not,” Chris finished weakly.

“We watched it four days ago! He’s the spitting image!”

He grimaced, realising he’d been busted. “Okay, yeah, I did. But really, can you blame me?”

She grinned, still fondling Dodger’s floppy ears. Panting happily, it looked like he was beaming at her.

“Nah, guess I can’t,” she admitted. “Hi, Dodger. Aren’t you a sweetheart, hey? Yes, you are. Not like your dork Daddy.”

“Rude,” grumbled Chris.

He was smiling, though, when he grabbed Mackenzie’s elbow and pulled her to her feet. When her hand left his head, Dodger darted over to Daisy and began sniffing her. She observed them worriedly.

“You already introduced them, right?” she asked. “They get along?”

Chris was nodding before she finished the questions.

“Of course. Hey.”

Mackenzie looked at him, slightly startled to find his face so close to hers. He was looking at her, clearly amused.

“Can I have a proper hello, now that you’re done fawning over my new dog?” Chris asked cheekily, his voice barely louder than a murmur.

“But the dog is so much cuter than you are,” Mackenzie replied, her eyes wide and innocent. Chris spluttered for a moment before her composure cracked, and she giggled. Huffing, he bent down and silenced her with a kiss.

When they broke apart, Chris went back to the stove to finish cooking. Sitting down at the kitchen table, Mackenzie shamelessly enjoyed the view as he tossed the stir-fry in the wok.

“So?”

“So what?” Chris asked over his shoulder.

“I want to know how Dodger ended up in my backyard,” she said impatiently. “And what does it have to do with you cooking one of my favourite dinners? Tell me everything.”

Chris laughed. He tossed the wok again before he turned off the stove. Taking two plates out from a cupboard, he set about serving the stir-fry and carried the plates over to the table. Mackenzie murmured a thank you when he placed one in front of her. Before he sat down to join her, he grabbed a beer from the fridge and a can of Coke for Mackenzie. Popping the cap on his beer, he sank into his seat and took a swig.

“I was messing around with Daisy this morning and I remembered what you said, last month, about whether I’d thought about getting another dog,” he began, and shoved a forkful of stir-fry into his mouth. “The more I thought about it, the more I realised how much things had changed since then, and before I knew it I was in my car driving to the shelter and – yeah. It just sorta happened.”

Mackenzie glanced over to the kitchen entryway as she sipped from her Coke, to where Daisy and Dodger were both sprawled out on the floor watching them eat. They made an adorable picture together, two sets of beseeching brown eyes waiting for food.

“I didn’t really think it through, you know? I don’t regret it!” he said instantly, when Mackenzie arched an eyebrow at him. “I just – that’s why I cooked for you. I kind of… have a favour to ask you?”

And suddenly everything made sense.

“Ah,” she hummed. “Okay, hit me with it.”

Chris winced. “Can he stay with you? Not all the time, I don’t mean all the time, even though your backyard’s great and he adores Daisy, that’s not – I mean, I’m flying to LA on Friday morning and I won’t be back until late Sunday night and I don’t want him to be alone while I’m gone, and then I have the press tour coming up…”

He trailed off when Mackenzie started laughing, no longer able to contain her giggles as she watched him ramble on. He frowned, picking at his stir-fry, and she stretched her foot out beneath the table to rub against his calf.

“Of course he can stay,” she told him, grinning. “Even if you didn’t cook for me, he could stay.”

The sigh of relief Chris let out was a little too big for Mackenzie’s liking. She curled her foot around his ankle.

“I’m sorry I laughed,” she added. “You just looked so flustered about it and you didn’t have to be. I looked after East sometimes when your Mom couldn’t. Why would this be any different?”

“I dunno,” he mumbled. He moved his foot against hers in response. “I was driving back with him and it felt – different. I thought – he’d be a good fit with _us_ , not just with me. Maybe it’s moving too quickly but I never thought about taking him to my apartment, just here.”

Mackenzie swallowed slowly. The conversation had unexpectedly grown very serious, and she took a moment to word her response.

“It’s moving a little quickly, yeah,” she said honestly. “But we’ve spent seven years going slow, so some catch-up might not be the worst thing. If I’m going to move quickly with anyone, Chris, it’s going to be you.”

She watched as a weight slid off Chris’s broad shoulders, and he smiled at her over the neck of his beer. She grinned at him briefly before popping a piece of chicken into her mouth.

“Especially if you keep cooking. I could get used to this.”

“Way to ruin the moment, Macaroni.”

* * *

Chris spent his weekend in LA. Mackenzie spent it first at work, and then on the couch in front of her TV to watch her boyfriend’s thirty-second appearance at the Kids’ Choice Awards.

Because that was a thing now. Being boyfriend and girlfriend. They’d had that conversation before he left on Friday morning.

She ordered pizza – with anchovies, because Chris wasn’t there to complain about it – and curled up on the couch to watch. Daisy and Dodger sat on the other end of the couch, where Chris normally sat, taking up more space than Mackenzie did. She couldn’t bring herself to push them off, though. In Chris’s absence, their weight on her feet was a decent enough substitute for his thighs.

His thumb war with Robert Downey Junior made her laugh. The new footage from _Captain America: Civil War_ had her feeling several other things. She blushed as she watched Chris wrestle with a helicopter, remembering she was personally acquainted with those stunning biceps. Waiting for her cheeks to cool down, she was glad she was watching alone. No one would let her live it down, especially not Chris. As the trailer finished up she sat quietly, almost overwhelmed with pride. She knew he was a good actor, but it was easy to forget that sometimes. To her, he was just Chris.

He got back late Sunday night, letting himself into the house and sliding into bed next to Mackenzie without waking her up. It was a pleasant surprise for her on Monday morning, one she didn’t want to leave behind when she left for work but had to anyway. They texted on and off for most of the day: at Chris’s request, Mackenzie made an appointment for Dodger the next week.

She didn’t notice Mark watching her enter the appointment over her shoulder until she spun around. Mackenzie ducked her head to hide her blush, and missed the curious glance he sent her way. What she didn’t miss, for the rest of the week leading up to Dodger’s Tuesday appointment with her, were the comments he kept making about her personal life – or lack thereof. He wasn’t even pretending to be subtle.

Mackenzie knew Mark was onto her, trying to get her to admit to something, but she wasn’t going to. Instead she shrugged off his teasing with a laugh each time, but couldn’t help it as her nerves began fizzing. She and Chris weren’t even three weeks into their relationship, making it something they wanted to keep between themselves and their families for a little while longer.

Mark and Emma, the two other vets at the clinic, were both very good friends of hers, but Mackenzie wasn’t ready to tell either of them yet. She mentioned as much to Chris the night before the appointment, and he quickly reassured her. She could tell them when she was ready. It wasn’t like he was going to swoop on her with an outlandish public display of affection when he arrived. She’d be at work. Dodger would be her patient, Chris would be her customer, and they’d be the best friends they’d always been.

When Chris arrived, Mackenzie beamed at him just as she would have done if they were still only best friends – because they _were_ still best friends. That hadn’t changed. She came out from behind the counter and Dodger tugged his way over to her. She knelt to his level, laughing as he jumped up at her and tried to lick her face.

“Hey buddy,” she said brightly, ruffling his ears. “Anyone would think it’s been months since you saw me!”

Dodger yapped at her as Chris snorted.

“To him it probably has been,” he said dryly. “What, no hug for me?”

Rolling her eyes, Mackenzie straightened and almost fell into Chris’s embrace. She had always loved being wrapped up in Chris’s arms. That was something that was also never going to change.

They sprung apart when Mark cleared his throat loudly.

“Hey man,” Chris greeted cheerfully, waving at the vet. He kept his other arm around Mackenzie’s shoulder. Mark’s eyes lingered on the contact for a moment, and then he grinned at Chris as well.

“Good to see you, Chris. Is this Mack’s new victim?”

Mark gestured at Dodger, whose tail was wagging quickly as he milled around Chris and Mackenzie’s legs.

“Yeah, this is Dodger.”

“Go on in,” said Mackenzie. “I’ll join you in a minute.”

After squeezing Mackenzie’s shoulder, the briefest, lightest touch of pressure, Chris began to wrestle Dodger into the exam room. Apparently he had decided he didn’t want to go anywhere in this new place without Mackenzie. She grinned as she finished up on the computer. Chris hadn’t managed to get Dodger halfway to the exam room, but the moment she walked past him Dodger raced after her and into the room.

“You want me to assist, Mack?” asked Mark, popping his head in the door after Chris. She blinked at him.

“It’s just a standard check-up,” she said. “I’m good. Dodger loves me, plus I’m pretty sure Chris’s biceps have it under control, did you see that new trailer last week?”

“Are you perving on my guns again, Macaroni?” said Chris. He grinned at her smugly, waggling his eyebrows, and Mackenzie blushed at once. Mark snorted. She glared at him over Chris’s shoulder. He seemed to get the message but before he shut the door, Mark shot Mackenzie a knowing smirk. As soon as the door clicked shut, Mackenzie groaned. At least Emma wasn’t so blatant about it. Mark would be insufferable until she confirmed his suspicions.

Chris lifted Dodger up onto the stainless steel table effortlessly.

“Can I kiss you in here or are there security cameras?” he teased, patting the dog’s head. Dodger seemed to realise that something was about to happen, and pressed himself against Chris.

“There are cameras,” she admitted with a shrug. “I’ll make it up to you when I get home.”

Chris’s grin widened, and then he laughed quietly. As Mackenzie reached out to Dodger, he cowered more closely into Chris’s chest and whined. She frowned at his behaviour.

“Come on, buddy,” she cooed. “It’s just me. I’m not going to hurt you.”

Dodger’s appointment took a little longer than most standard check-ups did, as they established that he had a stronger aversion to the vet than most dogs. Basing her conclusion on his origins as a shelter dog, Mackenzie spent nearly ten minutes on the floor with him after his check-up was done. She was not letting Dodger leave until she’d won back his affections, and hopefully made him a little more comfortable for the next time he came to the vet. The adoring grin she saw on Chris’s face out of the corner of her eye didn’t hurt, either.

Dodger trailed behind her as they left the exam room, pulling Chris along too. He jumped up and rested his paws on her leg as she sat down at the computer and opened his file. Mackenzie rubbed the spot beneath his chin she’d discovered he loved.

“See, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” she cooed at him.

Pulling out his wallet, Chris laughed.

“Nah, he just adores you.”

The unspoken _like I do_ passed between them as he handed her his debit card. He leaned over the counter as she dealt with his bill, and when she passed back the card his fingers lingered on hers.

“I’ll see you later, yeah?” he murmured, aware that Mark was watching them. She nodded.

“Yeah.”

Chris grinned and stepped back, jerking on Dodger’s leash.

“Oh, come _on_ , Dodger,” he groaned, when the dog dug his heels in and pawed at Mackenzie. “We gotta go home.”

“I’m so the favourite!” she called after Chris as he left the clinic. He flipped the bird at her in response.

She didn’t stop watching after Chris until he drove out of the parking lot. Then Mackenzie spun around on her chair, baulking when she saw Mark and Emma both looking at her curiously. She raised her eyebrows.

“You’re not kidding anyone, you know,” stated Emma.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Mackenzie replied loftily.

Sighing, Emma disappeared into the back office. Mark shook his head, eyeing her in exasperation before he followed Emma into the back office. Mackenzie bit her lip to contain her grin. It wouldn’t do for one of them to come back out and see it, not when she didn’t have a customer to use as an excuse. But she didn’t bother trying to contain her grin when she got home that afternoon. It would have been impossible. She was just too happy.

* * *

The door chimed as Mackenzie pushed it open, a bright grin on her face as she strode into the clinic. She went straight into the back office, hanging up her jacket and stowing her bag before she sought out Mark. He was in the overnight room, checking on the handful of animals who’d undergone surgery the day before. The tortoiseshell cat he was visiting was purring loudly, rubbing up against his hand through the bars of her cage.

“Good morning,” sang Mackenzie. She went to the side of the room, unlocking the cabinets and dragging out the bags of food they stored inside. They’d had two dogs and three cats stay overnight, so she grabbed five of the bowls they used to feed them.

“Well?”

Mackenzie paused, midway through pouring out kibble, and glanced over at Mark. He was wearing the biggest, smuggest grin Mackenzie had ever seen on his face, and she raised an eyebrow.

“Well what?” she asked.

“You know what,” he shot back. “I’ve known you for nearly thirteen years. I hired you straight out of high school. For the last few weeks you have been the happiest I’ve ever seen you. Something – or some _one_ – is responsible for that. I’m tired of you pretending you don’t know what I’m talking about. So fess up, Miss Higgins!”

Mackenzie ducked her head, feeling her cheeks heat up.

It was true. She’d started at the clinic as soon as she finished high school. She had worked there throughout four years of college and another four years of vet school, and as soon as she graduated Mark had hired her as a full vet and not just an assistant. He knew her well after so many years; maybe a little too well, if she thought about it closely. It was impossible to keep a secret from him – it was part of what made him such a good vet. He could read an animal’s body language as easily as he could read a human’s.

Mackenzie hadn’t felt comfortable telling him earlier, but it had been a month now and things with Chris were still as wonderful as she had both hoped and expected. Maybe it was time to start telling people she trusted.

“Okay, so maybe,” she mumbled. “ _Maybe_ , I’ve been seeing someone for the last month.”

“I knew it!” crowed Mark. His smirk grew even smugger as he straightened up, fondling the cat’s ears one last time. “It’s Chris, right? It has to be. You were both acting weirdly when he came in on Tuesday. I mean, more weirdly than how you usually skirt around each other.”

Mackenzie’s jaw dropped. “How did you…?”

“Oh, please,” Mark scoffed, shaking his head. “You’ve been pining over him for years. He’s the only person who could make you this happy.”

Blushing harder, Mackenzie carried the bowls of food over to the cages. When she looked at Mark again, he was staring back at her knowingly. She pouted at him for a few seconds, but couldn’t help the smile that broke out across her face as she nodded.

“Okay, okay!” she admitted. “Yes, it’s Chris.”

Mark beamed at her, pulling her into a tight hug. Mackenzie stiffened briefly, but then hugged him back. When they broke apart, he held her at arm’s length. He was still smiling.

“I’m so happy for you, Mackenzie,” he said sincerely, before he snorted. “And it’s about time the two of you got your act together. The tension was reaching unbearable levels.”

“Hey!” protested Mackenzie.

“Don’t ‘hey’ me,” said Mark, waggling a finger at her. “I’m the one who’s had to watch you both pine over each other, ever since he came in with East. You have no idea how frustrating it’s been.”

Mackenzie’s jaw dropped indignantly, and she stared at his retreating back as he left the room. She trailed after Mark as he walked out into reception.

“I think I have some idea!” she retorted. “Considering I was actually _doing_ the pining and not just watching it.”

Mark just shrugged, turning on the computer and ignoring her frown. They opened in five minutes; the first appointment was in ten.

“Ugh,” groaned Mackenzie, shaking her head. “You’re so annoying.”

“And yet, you chose to stick around,” Mark replied. “If I wasn’t married, and hadn’t watched you and Chris dancing around each other for years, I might have made a move. You’re clearly drawn to me.”

Then he winked at her, telling her he was joking. Even so, she was completely flabbergasted. She didn’t know what to say, so she pouted again. Thankfully, the door chimed at that exact moment, and she turned to greet the other vet they worked with. Emma took one look at Mackenzie’s blush and Mark’s cocky grin, and sighed.

“Okay, what did I miss?”

“You owe me fifty dollars,” announced Mark triumphantly, causing Mackenzie to spin back around.

“You bet on me?” she exclaimed. Mark shrugged, still grinning.

“If it makes you feel any better, we only made the bet after Chris came in two days ago,” he teased.

“I want confirmation from Mack before I pay,” spoke up Emma. She looked at Mackenzie expectantly, and Mackenzie glowered at her.

“Confirmation of what? I don’t even know what the bet was.”

“For the last month you’ve been…” prompted Emma.

“In a relationship with Chris Evans,” said Mackenzie reluctantly.

Emma sighed, pulled out her purse, and passed a fifty-dollar bill over to Mark. Grumbling under her breath, Mackenzie pushed Mark out of the swivel chair and opened up the day’s appointment list. Her first appointment wasn’t for another hour but Mark’s first appointment was in a few minutes.

“This is what happens when we have a slow day,” Mackenzie muttered under her breath. Looking at Mark, she rolled her eyes and waved him away. “Go. I’ll send in Catherine and Duck when they get here. I will never understand how someone could name their dog Duck. Makes no sense.”

Mark chuckled as he walked to his exam room.

“Have you met Duck?” he called, looking back over his shoulder. Mackenzie shook her head. “Well, when you do you’ll understand.”

Groaning, Mackenzie slumped over the desk. She looked up again when Emma tapped her on the shoulder. The older woman was smiling as well, but without any of the teasing that had been obvious on Mark’s face. Mackenzie smiled back at her tentatively.

“Seriously, Mack, all bets aside, I’m really happy for you,” she said quietly. “It’s been a long time coming. You and Chris will be so good for each other.”

“Thanks, Em,” she replied, just as the door chimed. Catherine and Duck walked into the clinic, and waited patiently behind Emma. “I’m sorry it cost you so much, though.”

Emma snorted. “No, you’re not.”

“No, I’m not,” agreed Mackenzie. “Serves you right, betting on my love life. Get going. I have a patient to check in.”

Just as she said that, Duck’s chocolate brown head appeared over the counter. The Labrador barked happily. He had a lazy grin on his face, tongue hanging out as he panted. Emma laughed, and made for her own room. Mackenzie smoothed a hand over Duck’s head gently.

“Hey buddy,” she crooned. “Someone’s eager. Get down, Duck. We’ve got to weigh you before you can see Doctor Mark.”

* * *

“I should’ve knocked on wood when I said this was a slow day,” Mackenzie muttered to herself, as she prepped for surgery with Mark. The little Maltese on the table whined quietly as Mackenzie set up the breathing apparatus for the anesthetic.

“It’s okay, sweetie,” she soothed, stroking the dog’s head. “We’re going to take care of you and your babies, I promise.”

Two hours after she usually arrived home, Mackenzie pulled into her drive and turned the keys in the ignition. She didn’t get out straight away. For a brief moment, she rested her forehead on the steering wheel. Then, with a tired sigh, she climbed out of her car.

“Chris?” called out Mackenzie, closing the front door behind her. She hung up her jacket on the back of a chair on her way through the kitchen. She knew he was in the house. She’d seen the glow of the television through the living room window as she’d driven in, and as she walked further down the hall she could hear the quiet buzz of whatever program he was watching.

“In here,” he called back.

Leaning against the frame of the living room entrance, she couldn’t help smiling. Chris was sprawled out on her couch, watching a crime show playing on the TV. Daisy was spread out across his legs, and Dodger was curled up against his side. He was alternating absently between petting each dog’s head. All three turned to look at her.

“Hey, gorgeous,” said Chris happily, and Daisy whuffed. Dodger’s tail thumped against Chris’s stomach.

“Hey,” she replied. Chris went to sit up, but Mackenzie shook her head. “No, it’s okay. Don’t get up. I need to shower before I do anything else.”

She gestured to her scrubs and Chris’s eyes trailed briefly down her body. He slumped back on the couch. Settling a hand on Dodger’s head, he nodded.

“Yeah,” he agreed. “But don’t take too long, okay? We’ve got two hours to catch up on.”

Mackenzie nodded back, and shot Chris a tiny smile before she disappeared down the hall. She went first into her bedroom, grabbing an old pair of leggings and a clean tank top from her dresser. Then she ducked across the hall and into her bathroom. Pulling off her scrubs, Mackenzie frowned. She’d need to soak them to remove the stains properly. For now, though, she threw them into the corner and turned on the shower. Waiting for the water to heat up, she twisted her plaited ponytail into a bun and pinned it in place before she covered her hair with a shower cap.

The hot water was soothing as it pounded down on the back of her neck and shoulders. She lathered her loofah up with body wash and slowly began to scrub down her skin. The water hit her shower cap with a slight crackle as she stood beneath the spray, letting it wash the soap from her body. She sighed softly as some of the day’s tension washed away with the raspberry suds.

Reluctantly, Mackenzie turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. She dried off slowly, exhaustion finally catching up with her as she dressed. She padded back to the living room, untying her hair as she went, and blinked when she saw that Chris had been busy while she’d been in the shower. The television was still on, but Chris had made the dogs get off the couch. Daisy was in her bed, chewing on what was left of her stuffed duck toy. Dodger was napping at the foot of the couch.

Chris was sitting up, obviously waiting for her, and he raised his eyebrows when Mackenzie hesitated in the doorway. She walked over to him, sinking onto the couch and burrowing into his side.

“Long day?” he queried, and Mackenzie nodded. She leaned up and kissed him, slowly and sweetly, and then rested her head on his shoulder.

“Mhmm. I told Mark and Emma about us. Emma lost fifty dollars to Mark. Then when were closing up, this woman came in with her Maltese. The poor thing was pregnant. She needed an emergency c-section,” she mumbled. “There were four puppies. We lost one of them.”

“Aw, Mack. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. It happens.”

“That doesn’t mean it doesn’t suck,” replied Chris, sliding his arm around her shoulders and squeezing. She hummed and gave a slight shrug.

“Yeah,” she agreed softly. “It does suck. But at least we didn’t lose all of them. That would be worse.”

They sat in silence after that. Chris rubbed slow, tiny circles on her shoulder with the tips of his fingers as Mackenzie leaned into him. She wasn’t watching the television; rather, she was struggling not to fall asleep on his shoulder. A sudden, vicious yawn rolled through her, which prompted Chris to look down at her in amusement.

“Tired, huh?”

“What gave it away?” retorted Mackenzie dryly. “I think I’m going to fall asleep right here…”

She closed her eyes, only to pout at Chris when he pinched her gently.

“What was that for?” she grumbled.

He gestured towards the coffee table, and Mackenzie noticed the sandwich for the first time.

“I didn’t think you’d want much to eat, so I made you a sandwich?” he said sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. Mackenzie’s mouth fell open, and then she smiled tiredly at Chris.

“Thanks,” she murmured, sitting up straighter and reaching for the sandwich. She ate slowly, tearing tiny pieces off and popping them into her mouth. She was exhausted, yes, but she knew better than to go to bed without eating anything. She’d regret it in the morning.

As soon as Mackenzie finished, though, there was nothing stopping her from slouching into Chris’s side again. He chuckled, adding to the background noise of the television.

“Sorry,” she said, fighting through another yawn. “I know this isn’t what you thought you were coming over for.”

“No, Mack,” protested Chris at once. “I came over to spend the night with you. Sex would’ve been a bonus, but it’s not the reason I’m here. You’re the reason I’m here.”

“Oh,” she mumbled, snuggling into him. “Sorry. I’m tired.”

“I can tell,” he teased. He squeezed her shoulder gently. “Relax, babe. I’m not going anywhere. You smell like raspberry, it’s fucking fantastic.”

Humming again, Mackenzie let her eyes drift shut. Chris was so warm, and his Henley-covered chest made the best pillow. The scent of his cologne surrounded her, a familiar smell that promised her love and security. She exhaled quietly, the material of his shirt rubbing lightly against her cheek. She’d take this over a bed any day.

“Did you end up walking the dogs?” she asked sleepily. “I’m sorry for asking at the last minute but I knew I wouldn’t get home in time to take Daisy for her run and she gets so restless and –”

“Relax, babe,” repeated Chris. He was a solid warmth against her side. “I took them both as soon as I got here. It was a bonding experience for all of us. Daisy’s a goofball –”

“You already knew that,” she interrupted lazily.

“– and Dodger is a brat.”

“Mmm, yeah. I seem to attract all the brats and goofballs.”

Chris laughed quietly. She felt his lips brush against her forehead and tried to smile, but her face was too tired to make a proper effort. She wriggled closer into Chris’s side instead, almost as if she was trying to occupy the same space that he was already taking up.

“Go to sleep, Mack,” he ordered gently, amusement in his voice. “I’ll see you in the morning, okay?”

“Kay,” she said plainly, reaching out and draping an arm over his waist. “Night. Love you.”

“I love you, too,” Chris murmured.

It was the last thing she heard that night, before she sank into the welcoming warmth of sleep. She stirred slightly when Chris carried her to bed, but settled down immediately when he crawled in behind her. Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her back against his chest firmly. She sighed quietly, and smiled in her sleep.

* * *

Mackenzie moaned, rolling onto her back sleepily and stretching her arms above her head. She squirmed, and she dug her fingers into her pillow as she fought against waking up. The dream she was having was too good to give up on without a fight. It had to be a dream, because she wasn’t awake yet – or at least, not fully. Exhaling softly, her legs fell open almost with a mind of their own as she tensed and relaxed.

Chris’s fingers teased at her entrance as he licked around her clit. Two fingers slid into her, achingly slowly, and she sighed happily. Teeth scraped gently over her clit, and Mackenzie arched her back at the jolt of pleasure.

Her eyes fluttered open as she sank back down onto the bed. She whined loudly when she caught sight of Chris with his head between her legs. Apparently she hadn’t been dreaming. Somehow he’d removed the leggings and panties she’d gone to bed in, without her noticing and waking up. Now he looked up at her, his eyes shadowed by long lashes, and she felt him smirk as his beard brushed against her inner thighs.

“Mmm,” she mumbled, reaching a hand down and running it through Chris’s hair. “Chris, what –?”

Then Mackenzie gasped.

She tangled her fingers in his hair reflexively, the other hand clenching tightly in her pillow. Chris crooked his fingers, rubbing slowly against her g-spot. At the same time, his lips fastened around her clit. She arched up again as his tongue swirled over the tiny bud. His fingers continued to slide in and out of her, as his other hand pressed into her hip. He began lapping at her clit with flat, broad strokes and Mackenzie whimpered loudly, shivering beneath him as her orgasm washed over her.

Slumping back against her pillow, Mackenzie untangled her fingers from his hair and brushed her own out of her eyes. Chris sat up as she panted, crawling up the bed to lie down next to her. He propped himself up on an elbow as he waited for her to catch her breath. When she did, she rolled onto her side and grinned at him. He grinned back, leaning in and kissing her softly. Licking her lips when he pulled back, Mackenzie could taste herself faintly.

“Good morning,” Chris murmured, eyes roving over Mackenzie’s face. “Wow, you’re gorgeous.”

“Good morning to you too,” she breathed, and reached out a hand to cup his cheek. “That was a nice surprise to wake up to.”

“What can I say? I like to spoil my girl.”

Mackenzie’s blush belied her grin. Then she pushed Chris onto his back. With the sheets bunched at the foot of the bed, there was nothing in her way as she threw her leg over his waist and straddled him. They both moaned quietly when she lined up her hips with his, and his tented sweatpants pressed up against her sensitive core. He could feel the wetness from her orgasm through the material. She leaned forward, running her hands over his bare chest and teasing at one of his nipples before she finally kissed him.

“I think someone else wants to be spoiled,” murmured Mackenzie, and briefly rested her forehead against his before she sat up. Then, with a smirk and a roll of her hips, she added, “Or should I say, some _thing_?”

Chris groaned, resting his hands on her waist. His thumbs pressed firmly into her skin as she ground against him.

“How can you blame me, baby?” he said huskily. “When I’m in bed with such a gorgeous woman?”

“I can’t,” she replied, tracing her fingertips around his pectorals. He groaned again and fiddled with the hem of her tank top.

“Mack, you’ve got to get ready for work,” he said regretfully, his voice strained. His eyebrows shot up when Mackenzie shook her head.

“No. Well, yeah, I do, but Mark said I could come in an hour later after staying last night. So we’ve got time for me to do this…”

Mackenzie slid backwards, just out of his reach. Chris let out an undignified yelp when she dipped her hand under the band of his sweatpants and into his briefs, wrapping her fingers firmly around his erection. She stroked him slowly, palming the head of his cock to slick her hand with some of his pre-come before she increased her speed. Moaning loudly, he thrust his hips up into her hand and reached out for her.

“S’not fair, Mack. Why are you so far away?” Chris complained. Mackenzie just grinned at him, twisting her hand as she stroked him. He rested back against the pillows and whimpered softly when she rubbed her thumb against the underside of his cock, just beneath the tip.

She couldn’t break eye contact with him as he arched up into her hand. The muscles of his thigh went taut beneath her other hand as his breathing picked up. Then he grunted, his eyes fluttering shut as he came, spilling into her hand. She kept stroking him and Chris trembled beneath her, riding out his climax. She only stopped when he grunted again, batting weakly at her hand. Mackenzie let go of him slowly. She withdrew her hand from his briefs and wiped it on them with a tiny grimace.

When she looked back at Chris, he was staring at her intensely, his eyes bright. He reached out for her again and Mackenzie took his hand, letting him pull her forward to lie on his chest.

“I love you,” he said lightly. “You are incredible.”

“I love you too,” she replied, smiling and kissing the tip of his nose. “But now I really do have to get ready for work.”

Chris pouted as she rolled off him. Stretching his arms out, he heaved a world-weary sigh before clasping his hands behind his head. He watched as Mackenzie moved around the bedroom, gathering clean clothes for after her shower. When she glanced back, she caught sight of Chris ogling her appreciatively. Raising her eyebrows, she ogled him back. With his hands behind his head, his biceps were on display.

“Stop staring at my ass, Evans.”

“Aw, but it’s such a pretty ass, Macaroni,” he retorted. “I think I could stare at it forever.”

He waggled his eyebrows at her. Mackenzie rolled her eyes but couldn’t help grinning. She winked at him before she turned around again. Purely for Chris’s benefit, she added an extra sway to her hips as she left the bedroom and giggled when she heard him groan loudly behind her. She was glad he couldn’t see her blush, though. It was incredibly flattering to know her body had such an effect on him.

She stuck her head back into the bedroom after her shower to find Chris still sprawled across the bed. He was breathing softly, with one arm draped over his face and covering his eyes. The other arm rested on his stomach, and moved up and down with each breath he took. For a moment she just stood there watching him. Mackenzie knew Chris wasn’t actually asleep, but he looked so peaceful. She chewed on her lower lip. He could easily have his pick out of Hollywood’s leading ladies, and for whatever reason, he’d chosen her.

“The bathroom’s free,” she called out. His mouth twitched. “I’m going to make pancakes, if you want some.”

Chris’s head shot up. He scrambled out of bed, brushing past her on his way to the bathroom. She returned the favour he’d given her, watching him shamelessly and taking in the muscles of his back as he walked down the hall in the opposite direction.

Then she headed into the kitchen. She began searching for the ingredients she needed to make the pancakes, and paused midway through pulling out the eggs and milk from the fridge. Her eyes caught on the beer in the fridge door. It was no longer the brand she bought just to have some in the house for when she had company. Chris had finished that up weeks ago. Ever since then, it had been one of the brands he preferred.

“The good stuff from now on,” she murmured to herself, her lips quirking in a content smile as she shut the fridge.

She set to work on mixing up the pancake batter, and soon had the first batch in the frying pan. Mackenzie eyed them closely, determined not to let them burn. Unfortunately, her determination couldn’t hold up to the distraction Chris Evans proved to be. Wrapping his arms around her waist from behind, he pressed his lips to the side of her neck. Mackenzie moaned, leaning her head back to rest on his shoulder as her eyes flickered shut.

A few minutes later, Daisy and Dodger watched on forlornly as their humans threw the first lot of pancakes into the trash.

* * *

“Morning, Mack!” Mark called out to Mackenzie the moment she stepped into the clinic. He was sitting behind the reception desk, looking at something on the computer. Emma stood behind him, looking at the same thing over his shoulder, but she also looked up and waved at Mackenzie. Mackenzie smiled back at them, but hesitated before she went through to the back office. There was something odd about their grins.

“Okay,” she began cautiously. “What have I missed this time?”

“Daisy’s famous,” they said in unison, both beaming at Mackenzie after sharing an amused look.

“What? Daisy is… You’re talking about my Daisy?” she said, frowning. “She’s famous?”

“Well, Internet famous, at least,” amended Emma, still beaming. “Dodger too. Come look.”

Mackenzie was full of trepidation as she approached the computer. Mark stood up, gesturing for her to take his place. She wasn’t sure what she expected to see, but a low-quality picture of Chris walking Dodger and Daisy the previous afternoon was definitely not it.

“We should print this out,” mused Mark. “Or hey, Mack, could you take a better quality picture of them together? We could put it on the wall. It would be great advertising. Oof!”

Mark yelped when Mackenzie thumped him solidly in the stomach. She was still staring at the computer screen, reading the short article accompanying the picture carefully.

“You are not taking advantage of my dogs and my boyfriend to promote the clinic,” Mackenzie said absently, tapping the down arrow on the keyboard. “At least, not without his permission.”

Mark brightened when she said that, but Mackenzie didn’t see it. She was too busy reading what the gossip website had written about Chris and the two dogs, and frowning about it. The short article didn’t exactly have much substance to it, but that it even existed worried her.

_Chris Evans was spotted out and about by fans in Boston yesterday, walking an energetic retriever mix and an adorable Dalmatian. Some readers will recall the Captain America actor lost his beloved bulldog, East, in 2013. This is the first time since then that Evans has been seen on his own with any dog, sparking speculation on many social media sites that he has finally moved on._

Mackenzie snorted when she finished reading. Scrolling back up to look at the picture again, she shook her head.

“They jump on anything they can, don’t they?” she muttered, not expecting an answer. Looking sidelong at Mark and Emma, she frowned when she saw their uncomfortable expressions. “What?”

“You’re dating a movie star, Mack,” said Emma slowly. “This is going to be just the tip of the iceberg when the media catches wind of it.”

Mackenzie bit her lip. She’d been trying not to think about that, especially as she and Chris were still firmly in the honeymoon stage of their relationship. She didn’t want to think about what might happen when they went public with it. She nodded, though, closing the browser window.

“I know,” she agreed quietly. “Hopefully we’ll be able to stay under the radar for as long as possibly. I don’t think either of us are ready for the entire world to know yet.”

“Do your parents know you’re together?” asked Mark. “Because if they don’t, they will after seeing this picture.”

“Yeah,” said Mackenzie absently. “We’ve got ‘meet-the-family’ dinners lined up next week, which is ridiculous because we’ve already _met_ each other’s families, multiple times, but I dare you to try tell that to Lisa Evans, let alone _my_ mother. _I’ve waited seven years for you to introduce Chris as your boyfriend, Mackenzie, and so help me you’re going to do it_.”

“Good luck with that,” said Emma cheerfully, as Mark began to chuckle. “Hey, who am I seeing next?”

Still pouting, Mackenzie pulled the appointment list up on the screen. Emma had the first appointment of the day, and they weren’t due in for another fifteen minutes. Mackenzie double-clicked on the entry. It took a couple of seconds to load, and when it did she frowned.

“This – is this right? Your next appointment is Sonic the hedgehog?” she asked, completely baffled. “Is Travis messing around?”

“Oh, no, that’s legit,” Mark called out from his room. “He confirmed it with me when the guy called up. Pet hedgehogs are picking up in popularity.”

“That’s so weird,” she stated. “That’s – actually, no, now that I think about it, a pet hedgehog would be adorable. Oh man, no. I can’t get a hedgehog. Daisy would eat it.”

“You can help me with it, if you want,” offered Emma. “Does that booking say how old it is?”

Mackenzie nodded. “It’ll be just over ten weeks.”

“Cool, so it’s a first appointment. Send them in when they get here? Mark can cover the desk.”

“Will do.”

It was definitely a new experience, observing the hedgehog appointment. She was right in assuming it would be adorable, and by the end of it Mackenzie had to talk herself out of researching hedgehog breeders when she got home that night. It was good, though, because it stopped her from fixating on what Mark and Emma had brought up earlier. She was glad that she and Chris had both told their families early on. She’d never have heard the end of it from her mother if she’d found out through a trashy gossip magazine.

It was going properly public that worried her.

Chris was famous. He was ridiculously famous. He could barely walk down the street without his picture ending up all over the Internet – he hadn’t even been able to walk their dogs without being noticed. That meant that, at some point, their relationship had to become public. It wasn’t just going to be their family and friends with an interest in what happened. It would be thousands, maybe millions of people – Chris’s fans, not to mention the media.

She wasn’t worried about the fans. They loved him, in their own way, and she was sure that the majority of them would be happy to know that he was happy. She wasn’t an idiot, though. She knew what the vultures in the media were like, picking fault with anything and everything that they could find, just for a more controversial headline. They took pride in tearing relationships apart, in creating drama and sitting back to comment on the fallout.

She didn’t know if she could cope with that kind of scrutiny. Chris got around in Boston relatively unbothered, but celebrity relationships somehow seemed to fascinate people. There was no way to accurately predict what would happen when it got out that Chris Evans was dating a vet from Boston, and not one of the supermodel actresses he was normally seen with.

Squaring her shoulders, Mackenzie shoved those thoughts out of her mind as another appointment walked in. She smiled at the young woman brightly, as the cat complained vociferously in its carrier.

“I’ve got Rufus here to see Mark?” said the woman, setting the carrier down on a chair. “Quiet, Rufus.”

Mackenzie pulled up the cat’s records, and glanced at the time.

“Mark’s just finishing up with his last appointment,” she said politely. “He’ll be out any minute now, in case you want to take a seat.”

The woman nodded, smiling at her briefly, before sitting down next to her cat. Maybe two minutes later, Mark was saying goodbye to his current appointment and beckoning for the woman to come in with Rufus. Mackenzie settled the other customer’s bill and farewelled them with a cheery smile.

There was no point dwelling on what could or might happen when word got out that Chris was off the market. She had much more important things in her life to focus on. Things were good. That was all that mattered.

* * *

Leaving the theatre after seeing _Deadpool_ , Mackenzie’s fingers tangled loosely in Chris’s. A chilling breeze blew past them, prompting her to let go of his hand to wrap her cardigan more tightly around her body as she shivered. Chris instantly slid his arm around her shoulders, pulling her against his side as they walked slowly to where they’d parked the car. She grinned at him.

“Such a gentleman,” she teased, laughing when he puffed out his chest.

“Of course,” he remarked loftily. “Ma raised me right.”

“You were giggling like an eight-year-old at all the swearing,” she retorted, cocking an eyebrow at him. “It wasn’t even the first time you’d seen it, you giant man-child!”

He just shrugged.

“What can I say? What Ma doesn’t know won’t hurt me,” Chris said, and then eyed her suspiciously. “You’re not going to tell her, are you?”

“Mmm, I don’t know,” she said lightly. “What’s in it for me if I don’t? Besides, you had that whole Twitter conversation about it already, didn’t you? I’m sure she saw it.”

Chris stopped walking, curling his arm around Mackenzie to pull her flush to his chest.

“This is what’s in it for you.”

He swooped down to kiss her soundly, his lips soft, dry and warm against her own. Mackenzie wrapped her own arm around his waist to steady herself, and snuck her hand up under the hem of his sweater. She traced her fingertips lightly over the skin of his back, and he grunted softly into her mouth.

“Your hand is cold,” he complained when they broke apart for air. She smiled at him brightly, and Chris shook his head in amusement. “Yeah, you knew that already.”

“It was kind of the point,” agreed Mackenzie.

They started walking again, and she kept her hand around his waist, pressing her palm flat against the warm skin beneath his sweater. Even after a month, it was still a little unbelievable that she actually got to touch him like this.

“Are we still on for dinner at your Ma’s on Wednesday?”

“Mhm. Yours on Friday, right?”

“Yeah. Is it just me, or are they more excited about us than we are?”

Chris burst out laughing.

“It feels like it,” he got out between laughs. “Ma was thrilled. When she invited us over I told her, Ma, you’ve already met Mack at least a hundred times, and you know what she said? She said, yes, I have, Christopher, and I still knew that at some point you’d be introducing her to me as your girlfriend.”

“Mom said almost exactly the same thing,” said Mackenzie, giggling. “It was ‘bring Chris over as your boyfriend or else’.”

“Or else what?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t exactly want to find out. Mom can be very creative when she wants to be.”

“Good point.”

They reached Chris’s car and he dug in his pocket for his keys. The car beeped when he unlocked it and he opened Mackenzie’s door for her. Before she could get in, though, he kissed her again. It was only a quick one but Chris knew exactly how to leave her breathless and wanting more. He smirked when he pulled away, and held her hand while she climbed into the passenger seat.

“Why do I put up with you?” she asked, as soon as he slid into the driver’s seat, and Chris grinned.

“Sometimes I wonder the same thing about you,” he replied cheekily, turning the key in the ignition. He winced when she smacked him on the chest. “Come on, you know I’m kidding.”

“Yeah, yeah,” muttered Mackenzie, struggling to maintain her fake indignation when he focused his puppy dog eyes on her. “Oh, right, I put up with you because you’re pretty.”

“I’m not pretty, I’m handsome,” he grumbled, as he pulled away from the curb. Mackenzie shrugged. She reached across the centre console and rested her hand lightly on his thigh.

“Yeah,” she said thoughtfully. “I guess you’re pretty handsome.”

She almost instantly regretted saying it when she caught sight of his smug grin out of the corner of her eye.


	2. Chapter 2

When Mackenzie arrived back at her house after her morning run with Daisy, she found Chris on his cellphone in the kitchen, with Dodger lying under the table. She unclipped Daisy’s leash and harness, and the Dalmatian went directly to her water bowl. Straightening up, Mackenzie hung the leash and harness on the back of a chair. Then she went over to Chris and slipped her arm around his waist. He kissed her on the cheek but kept his phone pressed to his ear.

“Could you send me a link?” he asked the person on the other end of the call. A few second later, his phone vibrated. “Thanks. Give me a minute to look.”

“Is something wrong?” asked Mackenzie quietly.

She rested her head against his shoulder. Chris took the phone away from his ear and shook his head.

“Hang on, babe,” he murmured.

She nodded, moving away from him and grabbing a bottle of water out of the fridge. She watched Chris while she opened the bottle and sipped from it slowly. He tapped away at his phone, and grimaced at whatever it was he’d been sent. Raising the phone back to his ear, he continued his conversation with whoever it was on the other end.

“Are you still there, Ma?” he asked, and Mackenzie frowned over the lip of the bottle. “Yeah, it should be okay for now. I’ll give Susan a call later, though, and get her opinion on what our next step should be.”

He paused as his mother spoke.

“No, yeah, thanks for letting me know. We’ll see you on Wednesday night, Ma. Love you. Bye.”

Chris sat down. Tossing the phone lightly onto the kitchen table, he ran a hand through his hair and exhaled noisily. He looked over at Mackenzie, who was still sipping from her water bottle. She looked back at him calmly, eyebrows arching as she twisted the cap back onto the bottle.

“What was that about?” she asked. “Susan’s your publicist, right? What do you need to ask her about?”

“C’mere,” he said instead, beckoning to her.

Frowning again, Mackenzie left the water bottle on the counter and pulled out the chair on a diagonal from Chris. He grabbed for his phone again, unlocking it and sliding it across to her. She picked it up slowly, not sure what to expect. The picture definitely caught her by surprise.

“Oh,” she said stiffly. “That’s us.”

The picture was dark and grainy, clearly taken at night by a cellphone camera and enhanced as much as possible. Despite that, Chris was easily recognizable in the photo. Mackenzie’s back was to the camera. It had obviously been taken last night, just after they’d kissed. For a moment she was glad that whoever took the picture had waited until after the kiss had ended, but then anger began bubbling in her stomach. The person responsible for taking that picture had intruded on a private moment between the two of them.

“Yeah, that’s us,” said Chris quietly. “That’s why Ma called me. One of my fans saw us last night, recognised me and took that photo. It blew up on Tumblr, so naturally the tabloids picked it up as well.”

He hesitated, and then added, “You should scroll down.”

She did so, and her eyes widened when she began to read what this particular tabloid website had written.

“This is – can they do this?” Mackenzie asked incredulously. “They don’t even know who I am and they’re saying that I’m potentially responsible for breaking you up with Minka, who you never got back together with, or Elizabeth Olsen, who you were never dating in the first place! Are they allowed to do that? Imply that you were two-timing these women and then somehow blame me for making you stop?”

Chris shrugged, his mouth twisting as his jaw tensed.

“Unfortunately they can. They’re only speculating. I’m sorry, Mack.”

She instantly regretted her outburst. This wasn’t Chris’s fault and she’d made it sound like she blamed him for it.

“What? Why?”

“I’m used to this kind of thing. I keep my personal life as quiet as I can. When something like this happens, they go nuts. This is – honestly, it’s probably going to be as polite as it gets. I’m sorry for exposing you to that.”

“No, Chris,” protested Mackenzie. “I knew this might happen. I’ve seen some of the stuff you have to deal with. I can handle it. I’m sorry, Chris, I made it sound like I… this isn’t your fault. You know that, right?”

“It’ll get worse before it gets better, Mack,” he said, sounding very drained. “I don’t want you to get hurt by any of the bullshit they come up with.”

“I can handle it,” she repeated. “ _We_ can handle it. Can’t we?”

She reached out for Chris, resting a hand on his tense bicep. He relaxed a little under her touch, and aimed what looked like a very pained smile in her direction. She smiled in return.

“So why do you want to talk to Susan?” she asked.

“Well, at some point,” said Chris, still sounding far too serious for Mackenzie’s liking. “We’ll have to become, what I like to call, media official. And that’ll require a statement or interview. So I need to talk to Susan and find out what she thinks would be the best way to do that.”

“Oh,” said Mackenzie softly.

It was really all she could think of to say. She hadn’t been lying when she said she knew some of the stuff Chris had to deal with, but it was a little difficult to comprehend that he had to publicly confirm he was dating someone. Nodding, Chris reached for the hand resting on his bicep and raised it to his lips. He kissed her fingers gently.

“It’s no big deal,” Chris said solemnly. “I’ll trend a bit more on Twitter. They’ll come up with some tacky headlines to run. I know it’s a little scary, but none of it will change what we have, Mackenzie. I love you.”

“I love you, too,” she murmured, and Chris grinned.

“Enough of this seriousness!” he said, squeezing her hand. “We’ve got fifteen hours left of this weekend. Let’s make it count.”

Her eyes narrowed. “And how do you propose we do that?”

“I have a few ideas,” he began, waggling his eyebrows, and winced when she kicked his shin gently. “But why don’t we start with lunch plans?”

* * *

The next week passed with much less excitement. Chris’s phone call to Susan went well. She told him not to worry, that his management team would take care of it for now, and to focus on his relationship; the media was just sniffing around for a story. It was nothing his team hadn’t dealt with before, and if something happened they would deal with it again easily enough.

Chris and Mackenzie both relaxed a little after that, continuing on with their lives and trying not to think about the possibility that someone was taking pictures of them every time they left the house. Mackenzie struggled with it more than Chris did, because he’d had more practice at it. But work was a welcome distraction, and whenever she was with Chris it was impossible for her to focus on anything else.

Dinner at Chris’s mother’s house was just as loud and fun as she remembered it being. His siblings were all there, even Scott, who had come in from New York especially for the dinner. They were all thrilled that Chris had finally seen what was right in front of him – their words, not Mackenzie’s – and were extremely supportive of the relationship. Lisa, in particular, couldn’t keep the smile off her face all night, especially after she caught the two of them playing footsies under the table.

Now it was Chris’s turn to face Mackenzie’s family. Two family dinners in the space of three days was slightly intimidating, but she knew Chris had as little to worry about with her mother and brother as she’d had with his family. They had met before, a couple of times, and Mackenzie knew her mother and brother both already adored Chris.

If he was nervous when they arrived at the Higgins family home, he hid it well. Her mother, Jocelyn, opened the door with a bright smile and a happy gleam in the same striking hazel eyes she’d passed down to both of her children. Jocelyn hugged Mackenzie first, and then Chris, before she hung their coats up in the hall and ushered them into the living room.

Nicholas appeared from somewhere in the house, and Mackenzie hugged him as well. There was a four-year age difference between, but they’d grown up very close after their father had walked out on the family. Mackenzie had been twelve when he told them he was leaving. He stayed in contact for nearly a year after he moved out – but as soon as the divorce was finalised that all stopped.

He still sent them cards and cheques for Christmas and their birthdays, but Mackenzie couldn’t actually remember the last time she’d spoken to her father. She didn’t care. As far as she was concerned, they were better off without him in their lives.

“Hey, Nicky,” she said fondly. She ruffled her brother’s hair and inspected him closely when the hug finished. “You’re looking good. How is work?”

“It’s fine. Consistent. Someone always needs a light bulb changed, you know? How is yours?”

“Consistent,” Mackenzie echoed, grinning. “People have pets. Pets get sick. We help them get better.”

Nick nodded, and then focused all of his attention on Chris. He held out a hand for the older man to shake.

“Chris! How are you doing, man?”

Mackenzie watched in dry amusement as Nick tried to suppress his instinct to wig out over Chris. It always took a while for her little brother to get the fan boy out of his system when they spent time together. Mackenzie and her mother sat down first, waiting for the two men to realise. Nick flopped down in an armchair, and Chris perched carefully next to Mackenzie on the couch.

“You two finally got your act together, huh?”

Mackenzie groaned, pinning her mother with an unimpressed stare. Jocelyn smiled back at her pleasantly, and Mackenzie turned to Chris. He was struggling not to smile.

“Were we really the only ones oblivious to what the other was thinking?” she asked, with a hint of frustration in her voice. Chris shrugged.

“Maybe. Who cares? We worked it out eventually,” he told her. He reached for Mackenzie’s hand, slipping his fingers through hers and squeezing gently. She couldn’t help smiling.

The conversation flowed easily after that. It had been a while since Mackenzie had been able to just sit and talk with her family. She made a mental note not to let it go so long again.

Chris fit in with them seamlessly. Her brother hung off his every word, and he made her mother laugh; especially when he showed her the video he’d recorded on Wednesday night. They’d taken Dodger with them to Lisa’s house, to meet the family. The dog had formed a special bond with his niece, unexpectedly sitting on Stella when she was lying on the floor. Mackenzie had seen it happen in person, but the video still made her laugh.

When Chris and Nick began arguing about the Patriots’ last season, though, Jocelyn stood up.

“Come help me get dinner finished, Kenzie,” she said.

Mackenzie followed her into the kitchen. Chris glanced at her briefly when she let go of his hand, but dove straight back into his discussion with Nick when she smiled at him.

Men and football. Mackenzie snorted.

The kitchen hadn’t changed, and the two women navigated around each other easily as Jocelyn told Mackenzie what she needed her to do. It was comfortable, sliding back into something she’d done for years.

“Kenzie?”

“Mmm?” hummed Mackenzie. Pausing in her tomato slicing, she looked at her mother. Jocelyn had also stopped what she was doing, and was watching her closely. “Yes?”

“I’ve got to ask – the photo of Chris and the dogs was one thing, but the photos that have shown up since?”

Mackenzie knew exactly what her mother was talking about. The latest photo that had shown up online was from the night before. Mark had given her an early finish from work, and the two of them had gone out for dinner. Someone had seem them, recognised Chris, and snapped a photo. The picture instantly did the rounds on Tumblr and Twitter until it was picked up by the gossip websites. Mackenzie was more visible, easily recognizable as the woman from the first photo, and Chris’s fans exploded over the possibility he was dating. Luckily, she still wasn’t identifiable.

“Are you sure you’re okay with this kind of publicity? This is only the start, Kenzie, what happens if –”

“Mom, it’s fine,” Mackenzie interrupted, with what she hoped was her most reassuring smile. “I love Chris and he loves me. His family supports us, you and Nick support us – don’t you?” Her mother nodded. “Whatever happens, we’ll deal with it. He’s already talked to his management team about the best way to handle it, anyway.”

“And what would that be?” asked Jocelyn.

“His press tour starts soon,” said Mackenzie, grimacing at the thought of Chris leaving for an extended period of time. “He wants to keep the focus on the movie as much as possible, but the problem at the moment is that everyone is focused on his personal life and speculating about what’s going on. If it looks like it’ll help, it it’s necessary, he’ll say something about it. Honestly, Mom, it’ll be fine. I’m a big girl, you know.”

Jocelyn studied her daughter’s face, and then smiled gently. “Okay. It’s about time. You’ve both been stupid for far too long.”

Mackenzie rolled her eyes, and focused back on her tomatoes.

“Yes, Mom. I know. We’ve heard that from _everyone_.”

Mackenzie helped her mother carry plates of food into the dining room, and stopped to listen in on what was happening in the living room. It sounded like the boys had stopped arguing. Instead Chris was swearing and Nick was laughing maniacally. Neither were particularly good things, so she was relieved when her mother called them both into the dining room.

Chris and Mackenzie instinctively drifted towards each other when they sat down, subtly shifting their chairs closer to each other around the table. It didn’t go unnoticed; Jocelyn and Nick exchanged a knowing glance. When they were all seated they began to serve themselves, loading up their plates with salad and pork chops.

“So, Chris, how have you been?” Jocelyn asked. “It’s been a long time since we’ve seen you!”

“Too long,” he agreed. “I’ve been good. I’ve been busy, you know, which is – well, I guess it depends how you look at it, doesn’t it?”

“It does,” laughed Jocelyn. “Oh, I saw that movie you directed. What was it called? _Before We Go_ , that was it. It was really sweet.”

Chris flushed slightly. “Thanks, Jocelyn. It was a lot of fun. Something different, you know?”

“Oh, yes. That’s how Kenzie convinced me to see it. She promised there were no aliens or flying robots.”

Chris glanced at Mackenzie, who was purposely ignoring him in favour of her pork chops.

“I’m glad you liked it.”

Nick set down his cutlery and it clattered on his plate, drawing everyone’s attention. He looked directly at Chris across the table.

“I can’t do this anymore,” he said, leaning forward and staring desperately at a startled Chris. “What happens in _Civil War_? What can you tell me? I’m dying here, Chris, I need to know!”

Mackenzie and Jocelyn rested their heads in their hands and let out identical, long-suffering groans. Chris blinked several times, before he burst out into a full-body laugh that had him slapping at his own chest.

“Sorry, man. I can’t tell you anything,” he finally spluttered out, between peals of laughter.

“Not even a little bit?” pleaded Nick.

“I really can’t. I’m sorry. You just gotta go see it when it comes out. It’s only a month to go, man.”

Nick pouted, looking remarkably like his sister. Mackenzie shook her head.

“Really, Nicholas?” she asked incredulously. “Really?”

“Come on, you can’t blame a guy for trying,” he muttered, picking at his salad morosely.

“You know Chris can’t say anything about the movies,” continued Mackenzie. “He’s contractually obligated to keep his mouth shut.”

“I know, okay? Let it go, Macbeth,” Nick snapped, stabbing a tomato violently. “I know he can’t say anything.”

When Mackenzie didn’t snap back at him, Nick looked up from his salad. Their mother was eating her dinner calmly. Chris’s brow was furrowed slightly, and he was looking at Mackenzie in confusion. Mackenzie was glaring at her brother. At first, Nick wasn’t sure why. Going back over what he’d just said, though, he tried to backtrack quickly.

“Sorry, Mack,” he said at once, holding his hands up. “I didn’t mean to say it. It just – slipped out?”

Mackenzie only glared more ferociously at her brother, and he winced.

“You promised not to say that,” she hissed.

“I know, I’m sorry,” said Nick weakly.

“You _will_ be sorry,” she promised. “I asked you to do _one thing_ –”

“Mackenzie,” interrupted her mother. “You’re twenty-nine, not six. This is not the end of the world.”

“But _Mom_ –”

Sighing, Jocelyn set her fork down on her plate.

“Nick has called you that for most of his life,” she said sternly. “It was bound to happen eventually.”

Mackenzie’s glare waivered, and then twisted into a pout she directed at her mother. She opened her mouth to say something else, but was beaten to it. Her head snapped around to look at Chris.

“Oh my God,” said Chris softly. He stared at Mackenzie in amazement, and she winced.

“Oh my God,” he continued, his voice growing louder. “Mackenzie Beth. That’s – Macbeth, oh my God, that’s amazing.”

“Chris, no,” she whined. “Don’t, Macaroni is bad enough.”

Her plea fell on deaf ears when Chris began chuckling, and then guffawing. She turned on her brother instead.

“Damn it, Nick. This is why you weren’t supposed to say it!”

But Nick was grinning as well.

“I’d say I’m sorry,” he said, and gestured to Chris. “But I’m really not.”

Mackenzie was tempted to slam her head against the table, when even Jocelyn began to laugh quietly. She didn’t, though. Nothing was vexing enough to warrant getting garden salad in her hair – not even this.

* * *

“So it looks like you broke the Internet again,” remarked Mackenzie.

She was tucked into Chris’s side, head resting on his shoulder as he sprawled back on the couch. He was flying out in the morning to start the press tour, which made this the last time they’d have together for a month. Pausing as he flicked through the recorded shows on her DVR, he looked down at her with a raised eyebrow as she searched for something on her phone.

“With what? The podcasts?” he asked. Mackenzie nodded.

“Emma sent me some links,” she said, and held out her cellphone for Chris to read what was on the screen.

 _“Captain America star Chris Evans admits he loves butts_ ,” she recited, grinning at him. “Don’t even get me started on the manscaping.”

Shrugging, Chris plucked her phone out of her hand. He set it on the coffee table, along with the remote. It seemed he’d given up on choosing something for them to watch.

“What can I say? It’s nothing you didn’t already know.”

“True,” she agreed. “I gotta say, though, I was really impressed with the advice you gave. At least, what they quoted in the article I read.”

“Yeah?” he murmured, and Mackenzie shivered slightly at the edge she heard in his voice. He reached out, laying a hand gently on the bend of her knee. “Well, I learned from the best, you know.”

Chris started massaging her knee, and Mackenzie bit the inside of her cheek to try and keep a straight face. She liked where this seemed to be going, but she didn’t want to let him know that just yet. She wanted to keep poking fun at him for a little longer.

“Really?” she asked, letting incredulity tinge her voice. “I’ve lost track of how many dates you went on every time you got back to Boston. You even forgot the last girl’s name!”

He rolled his eyes at her, but Mackenzie could tell he’d caught the joke by the curl of his lips. Then she squeaked when Chris tugged on her knee and somehow manoeuvered her to straddle him. She braced her palms on his chest as his hands slid up her thighs to rest on the curve of her hips.

“That was a completely different situation and you know it,” he drawled, his eyes meeting and holding hers. “I can’t believe you’re bringing that up again. You know I didn’t forget her whole name, just the letter it started with. And it was because I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

Mackenzie’s mouth twitched into a happy smirk. She leaned forward, only breaking eye contact with Chris when their lips met and their eyes shut. It was gentle, slow, and she smiled into it when Chris’s tongue traced along the seam of her lips. She parted her mouth, just barely, and he dipped his tongue inside to tease her as her lips moved against his. She moved one of her hands from his chest to the back of his head, and tangled her fingers in his hair.

Neither of them was in a rush, and Mackenzie lost track of time as they kissed on the couch. Chris massaged her hips, his fingertips dancing lightly over the skin of her lower back. He slipped his hands under the waistband of her flannelette shorts, moving down her body until he was palming her ass gently through her panties.

Mackenzie moaned into his mouth, only to gasp when Chris dug his fingers into her ass and tugged her forward. He tilted his hips at the same time, creating a delicious friction that Mackenzie instinctively ground into. He nipped teasingly at her lower lip before he pulled back. Her hand fell from the back of his head to rest on his chest again. She pouted at him, only to hide her face in his neck when he squeezed her ass.

“That’s – not fair,” she said breathlessly. Sitting up in his lap, she aimed her pout at him again.

“Huh,” said Chris, smirking as he kneaded her ass. “None of those headlines said ‘ _Chris Evans isn’t fair_ ’? I’m shocked.”

“What you are is an asshole,” grumbled Mackenzie. She moaned quietly when Chris pulled her forward again, pressing her hips more firmly against his. He was hard in his sweatpants.

“Maybe. I’m also,” he began, interrupting himself to leave wet, teasing kisses along Mackenzie’s jaw. “A big fan of this ass. Oh, and the woman it belongs to. I kind of love her, too.”

Mackenzie whimpered as he rolled his hips up, his erection pressing against her through their clothes. She looked into Chris’s eyes again, her breath catching for what felt like both the first and thousandth time at the emotion she could clearly read in that unique shade of blue. She could easily get lost in that colour. She had before.

“You’re such a sweet talker,” she managed to say, barely recognizing her voice as her own. He grinned at her.

“That’s why you love me.”

“Yeah,” Mackenzie grinned back. “It’s one of the reasons, yeah.”

She ran her hands down his t-shirt, brushing over his nipples through the thin material. Her eyes never left Chris’s as she toyed with the hem of his shirt, before delving into his sweatpants. She caressed his cock, running her fingertips down his length gently and watching as he started to flush beneath his beard and down past the collar of his shirt. She went to wrap her hand around him but frowned, withdrawing her hand instead.

“This isn’t going to work,” she mumbled.

She slid backwards off his lap. Standing between his spread legs, Mackenzie stripped off her tank top, nipples stiffening as the cool air hit her body. Then she hooked her thumbs into the waistband of her shorts and panties. Meeting Chris’s gaze and biting her lower lip, she slid them down her legs slowly. Her clothes pooled around her ankles and she stepped out of them, feeling Chris’s eyes burn a trail over her body.

Mackenzie took a step forward, her knees pressing against the couch between his spread legs. She reached for the drawstring of his sweatpants, tugging on the cord until it unknotted. Her hands curled under the waistband. Chris arched his hips to help as she tugged his sweatpants down his legs, and he kicked them off. Mackenzie climbed back into his lap, her hands going straight to the hem of his shirt and pulling it over his head.

“Much better,” murmured Mackenzie, when they were both naked. Chris just nodded, taking in the sight above him.

She trailed her hand down his chest slowly, following the trail of dark hair that led to his erect cock. She coiled her fingers around it and stroked him gently. He groaned softly and rested one hand on the small of her back. Mackenzie lost her balance as he pressed her forwards. Her hand left Chris’s cock to splay across his chest. She whimpered as his erection rubbed against her pussy, the moisture of her arousal coating it.

“No teasing,” she said beseechingly. “Please, Chris.”

Grinning, Chris brought one hand to the back of her head, crushing her mouth to his again. As he did so, the hand on her back moved around to her pussy. Two gentle fingers brushed over her clit before reaching further, circling her entrance and dipping inside. He moved his fingers in and out of her slowly, seeking out her g-spot. Mackenzie whined into his mouth impatiently when he found it, and felt him grin.

Chris withdrew his fingers, wrapped a hand around his erection and dragged the head through her wet folds. Then he positioned himself, and Mackenzie sank down slowly onto his cock. He caught her bottom lip between his teeth briefly as she pulled back from him, moaning as she adjusted to the feeling of his cock inside her. Pressing her forehead to Chris’s, her eyes fluttered open. She was sure hers were just as dark, pupils blown out with arousal, as his were.

“You’re not gonna make me do all the work, are you?” she breathed, looking at him imploringly.

Chris grinned at her shamelessly and trailed a hand down her spine, before he palmed her ass again. He rolled his hips slowly, dragging another low moan from her. Mackenzie quivered, leaning forward and steadying herself by pressing her palms against his chest.

“I’ll meet you halfway, babe,” he murmured.

Chris rocked his hips a little faster, and Mackenzie moved with him. Pressing her face into the side of his neck, her soft, breathless mewls soon filled his ear. He moaned himself, feeling her walls flutter around him.

“Chris,” she begged. “Chris, please.”

“Please what, Mack?” he teased, and then choked on his next breath when she ground down onto him.

“M’close,” murmured Mackenzie.

“Already, babe? But I’ve barely touched you.”

Mackenzie moaned shamelessly, kissing and sucking on the curve of his neck until she found a spot that had Chris groaning.

“Please. More. Want to come. Make me come, Chris, please.”

He couldn’t deny her, not when she was trembling on his lap as he thrust into her. He squeezed her ass once more, feeling her moan into his neck again. Then he brought one hand around. He brushed his fingers lightly over her pubic hair before he slipped them between her folds, and honed in on her clit. Mackenzie whimpered as he fondled the tiny bud, her hips faltering as she rode him.

At first Chris intended to tease her for a little longer, to draw out her orgasm until she begged for it. Then he felt her teeth dig into the muscle of his shoulder, and any thoughts he had of teasing her vanished.

His fingers grew slippery with her juices as he rubbed her clit mercilessly, and she gave up trying to move with him. Mackenzie clung to Chris, quivering as he stroked her clit with one hand and held her close with the other, a firm weight on her ass. He pistoned his hips, driving his cock into her deeply.

“Yes,” she gasped out between whimpers. “Chris, please, oh God –”

And then she was coming apart above him, her mouth falling open in a silent whimper. Mackenzie sank down onto his cock and pushed into his hand as her orgasm ripped through her. Chris didn’t slow down as she climaxed, slapping his hips against hers as his fingers danced over her clit. Her wet heat pulsed around him as her entire body trembled, and not even a minute later, as the aftershocks of Mackenzie’s orgasm still rocked through her, Chris came as well.

The sound of their breathing, harsh pants and gasps, filled the room as their movements finally stilled. Mackenzie kept her face pressed into Chris’s neck, her chest heaving as she struggled to catch her breath. He stroked her back, his touch delicately feather-light, as he moved his fingers away from her sensitive clit and he pulled his softening cock out of her. She slumped against him, her sweat-slick skin sliding against his, and pressed a kiss to the crook of his neck. He felt each breath she took against his skin.

“That was…”

“Yeah,” Chris agreed, exhaling quietly as Mackenzie’s fingers slid up and down his waist. She huffed out a laugh, and slowly straightened until she was sitting up again, looking him in the eye.

“I think we get better at that every time,” she said, grinning.

“Yeah,” he repeated, matching her smile. “But one of these days I’ll have you screaming out my name.”

Blushing furiously, Mackenzie scoffed at him. “I don’t think you will. I’m not a screamer, Chris.”

“We’ll see,” he said with a shrug. “Hey, remind me to thank Anna, next time I talk to her.”

“For what?”

“Mind-blowing couch sex. Ow!”

Mackenzie thumped Chris on the stomach, but giggled anyway. Looking down at him, she rolled her eyes.

“You’re such a frat boy sometimes.”

Chris grinned. “I know. I love you.”

“I love you too,” she murmured, and bent down to kiss him.

It was a slow, lazy kiss and they stayed like that for a while, neither of them moving, until Mackenzie pulled back and grimaced. She shifted uncomfortably in Chris’s lap,

“Okay, now I need a shower,” she mumbled. “We should move before we have to burn the couch.”

Chris burst out laughing, but quieted when Mackenzie crawled off his lap. His eyes lingered over her body as she bent down to collect her discarded clothing. She looked over her shoulder and cocked an eyebrow at Chris, before she ducked out into the hallway.

“Are you coming?” she called back, and Chris scrambled off the couch to catch up with her.

Her legs wobbling like jelly beneath her, Mackenzie quickly decided against a shower in favour of running a bath. She sank into the steaming water with Chris, sighing happily as the heat flooded her bones. He reached for her raspberry body wash, lathered up her loofah, and rubbed it slowly over her back.

“So you didn’t listen to the podcasts?” he murmured curiously.

“No,” said Mackenzie. “I didn’t. But – I think I know why you’re asking.”

Chris hummed. “Yeah?”

“Yeah, those weren’t the only links Emma sent me.”

She felt Chris’s exhalation on the back of her neck, just before he scooped up a handful of water and rinsed the soap from her back.

“So you know that –”

“That you hedged when she asked if you were talking from recent experience, because of the photos, and the press have jumped on it. Yeah.”

“Oh.”

“It’s okay, Chris,” she said quickly. “I don’t want you to second-guess yourself every time you go to say something.”

“I know, babe,” said Chris softly, running the loofah across her stomach. “I just don’t want you exposed to the shit they pull.”

“I – I get that,” said Mackenzie, yawning quietly. She leaned back against Chris, resting her head on his shoulder. “But I also don’t want to feel like we’re hiding our relationship. You say what you want to say and we’ll deal with whatever shit they throw at us together.”

“So in my next interview,” he said, after a moment’s pause. “If I wanted to say I’ve started dating someone…?”

“Go for it,” she said at once. “Like I said, we’re not hiding it. We just value our privacy. There’s a difference.”

Chris was silent for a long time, washing her gently and rinsing the suds from her body. When he was done she took the loofah from him and twisted around to face him, swapping jobs. She took her time, her hands lingering over his pecs and abs as the water grew cold around them.

When she was done she stood, letting the water drip from her skin. She could feel his eyes on her as she reached for her towel.

“God, I love you,” whispered Chris, staring at her adoringly as she wrapped the towel around her body. She blushed, handing him a towel when he stood up too. “How did I get so lucky?”

“Mm, I still think I’m the lucky one,” Mackenzie murmured. She smiled at him shyly. “I’m going to get dressed and let the dogs in.”

He nodded, pausing as he toweled his hair dry.

“Sure, baby.”

When Mackenzie made it to the bedroom, Chris was sitting up in bed waiting for her. Her blush had faded, and she crawled in beside him. He slid down in bed and Mackenzie curled into his side. His body was a furnace, and she rested her head on the warmth of his bare chest.

“I don’t want you to leave tomorrow,” she murmured sleepily, her head moving as Chris’s chest rose and fell beneath it.

“Neither, but I have to.”

“You’re going to be gone for ages. Like, a month. That’s too long.”

“I know. It’s too long for me too,” he murmured in reply, moving his arms to wrap them around Mackenzie. “But as soon as it’s over I’ll be back here with you, and I won’t be going anywhere.”

“You promise?”

“Yeah, babe. I promise,” he said quietly, and kissed the top of her head. “The minute the press tour is done, you’re stuck with me. I’ll be around so much you’ll get sick of me.”

“Good,” yawned Mackenzie. “Won’t get sick of you. Love you.”

Chris grinned, hearing how close she was to falling asleep.

“I love you too. Good night, Mack.”

Mackenzie said nothing else, the pattern of her breathing evening out in sleep. Chris stayed awake for a short time after, smoothing his fingers through her hair gently. His fingers entwined with hers, just before he also fell asleep.

* * *

Chris paced nervously in his dressing room, tugging on the lapels of his suit. This appearance had been scheduled for months, to go along with the press tour for _Civil War_. But with Marvel’s okay, he’d made an addition to the topics they’d be discussing. He was about to acknowledge something deeply personal on live television, with hundreds of thousands of people watching. His chest was tight. His brain was noisy.

A knock on the door momentarily startled Chris out of his head. Crossing the room, he opened the door to find Sebastian on the other side. His fellow actor was looking quite dapper in his suit, and grinned broadly at Chris. Chris stepped back to let him into his dressing room. He shut the door slowly and turned to find Sebastian looking at him closely, an eyebrow arched.

“You okay, man? You’re not usually this…” Sebastian made a noise in the back of his throat and gestured aimlessly. “You know?”

Chris nodded. He knew exactly what Sebastian meant.

“Yeah, no, it’s not – the interview is fine. I can do the one-on-one stuff all day,” said Chris, reaching for a bottle of water with a hand that trembled slightly. “It’s – I’ve told you about Mack, haven’t I?”

“The best friend you’ve been in love with since you met her seven years ago?” Sebastian drawled. “You might’ve mentioned her, once or twice. Or nearly every time we were on set together.”

Chris snorted, resisting the urge to flip his friend off. He reached up to run his hand through his hair, but stopped himself before he actually did. He didn’t want to ruin his stylist’s work.

“She’s my girlfriend now.”

Sebastian’s eyes widened. He beamed at Chris. “Chris! That’s awesome news, man!”

“Yeah, it is,” replied Chris. He smiled sappily before his jaw tightened again. “There’s just been a lot of shit going around about whether I’m in a relationship or not, so tonight I’m confirming it.”

Further recognition dawned on Sebastian’s face, and he nodded.

“That explains it,” he replied. “You’ll be fine, you know? Kimmel won’t let you stick your foot in your mouth. And once your fans get over losing their chance with you they’ll be thrilled.”

Grimacing, Chris sighed. “Yeah. I’m just worried about the paparazzi fallout. But she’s worth it.”

His phone chose that moment to vibrate on the coffee table. Grabbing it, Chris unlocked his phone and couldn’t help letting out a bark of laughter as he read the message he’d received.

“Is that from her?” asked Sebastian, sounding very much like he already knew the answer. Chris nodded. “What does it say?”

Chris held out the phone, showing Sebastian the selfie Mackenzie had just sent him. She was on the couch, her grinning face just visible beneath the pile of fur that was Dodger and Daisy. The message captioning it read: _We miss your stupid face. Can’t wait to see you on TV. Remember to breathe <3_.

Sebastian nodded approvingly, and then frowned.

“What?” Chris asked.

“I wanted to tease you about how sickeningly sweet this is, but it’s actually too cute. It would be wrong to tease you.”

Chris snorted again. With a few taps of his finger on the screen, the picture became his new wallpaper. He pocketed his phone and went to shove a laughing Sebastian towards the door. Just as he pushed him out into the hallway, one of the show’s assistants jogged up to them. The man mumbled something into his headset before he nodded at Chris.

“You’re on in five minutes, Mister Evans.”

As Chris thanked the assistant, Sebastian walked backwards towards his own dressing room. He gave Chris two thumbs up and a nod of encouragement before disappearing into his dressing room. Chris stepped out into the hallway. Closing the door, he leaned against it and breathed in slowly. Looking down at his phone again, Chris tapped out a response.

 _I love you. See you on the other side_.

He didn’t have a chance to take more than two steps before Mackenzie’s reply came through, accompanied by another selfie. She blew him a kiss while rolling her eyes.

 _Overdramatic dork. I love you too_.

* * *

“This nation, America, has known many, many great captains, including Kirk, Crunch, Kangaroo: none of them could beat up our next guest. He returns, shield in hand, in _Captain America: Civil War_ , which opens everywhere, May 6th. Please say hello to Chris Evans!”

The door slid up and Chris blinked as his eyes adjusted to the brighter lights on the set. It wasn’t nearly as bad as some of the premieres he’d been to, and his eyes adjusted quickly enough. With a grin and a wave, he strode out across the floor and shook Jimmy’s hand before taking a seat on the couch. He stroked his tie nervously, as Jimmy launched straight into discussing the movie. It took Chris a lot more energy than usual to focus on what Jimmy was saying. He knew that soon enough, they’d be talking about Mackenzie.

“I’m not just saying this, I saw the movie and it’s really great, I mean –”

“You liked it?” said Chris lightly, nodding.

“Even by the high Marvel standards… have – you’ve seen it, I assume?”

“I have seen it, yeah. I liked it too,” he agreed, sending a cheeky grin out to the audience. That prompted some whoops. Then he sharpened his focus again, as Jimmy moved on.

“Do you ever find yourself in a situation where you have to go ask people to come see a movie that you don’t like?

Chris laughed awkwardly, trying to think of a diplomatic way to answer that question.

“Well yeah. You can look at my IMDb page to know that that’s happened. Not to insult any past films, but yeah. I’ve certainly had some films in my past where you’ve got to get colourful with your methods of promotion.”

“How do you do that? What do you do? Like, what do you say?”

“What do they ask… you know, what can fans expect from this movie? Well, uh, you know. It’s a lot of fun, and you know – popcorn tastes great, doesn’t it? Make sure you get a lot of that.”

He laughed again, encouraged by the audience’s reaction.

“This one you don’t have to do that,” said Jimmy earnestly. “The premiere’s tomorrow night, right, the world premiere?”

“Yeah, yeah it is.”

“Who will you invite to that? Will you take anybody with you?”

This was what Chris was waiting for. Soon Jimmy would segue into asking him about Mackenzie, just like Chris had asked him to do.

“Well normally I do my family. The last couple films, my whole mother’s side of the family for one premiere, my whole father’s side of the family for another premiere –”

“And that’s a nightmare, right?” interrupted Jimmy.

“It’s – it’s a lot,” said Chris candidly. “I got great family members but they’re all enthusiastic and they’re excited and it’s a huge family – for this one I kinda said, you know what, I’m going to bring it back a little bit to home base. So I invited a few people who, over the years, have kind of done things for me.”

Jimmy leaned back a little in his seat. Chris smoothed his tie for the umpteenth time that night so far, waiting for the question he knew was coming.

“You’re not taking a date?” he asked. “I mean, there’s been some stuff popping up lately, I’m sure you’re aware, saying you might be seeing someone. Is there anything you’d like to say about that?”

There it was.

Chris took a quick deep breath – and nodded.

“Yeah, there is, actually,” he admitted, his voice stronger than he’d expected. “What you’ve seen in those pictures – the bare bones of it, it's true. I’m officially off the market.”

There was a hush in the studio. Then the audience erupted in applause. Chris smiled nervously, looking around at the audience. He’d been unprepared for just how much weight fell off his shoulders the moment the words left his mouth. As they waited for the furor to die down, he looked sheepishly at Jimmy. The host was smirking approvingly.

“That’s wonderful, Chris,” he said, when the audience calmed down. “I’m very happy for you. Can we expect to see her tomorrow night?”

“You’re not gonna see her tomorrow,” he said. “It’s early days still, I mean, I’ve known her for years, but, yeah, no, she won’t be there tomorrow.”

“Years?” asked Jimmy, intrigued.

“Years, yeah. She’s been my best friend for – wow, seven years. I hope that’s right, or I’ll be in trouble.” The audience laughed. “There was always something there we were both afraid to act on, but we finally did and – well, it’s been nearly two months now. She’s the most amazing woman I could ever hope to meet. The press tour’s keeping us apart for the next month, but I know she’ll be waiting for me when I get back to Boston.”

Jimmy was nodding, a supportive grin on his face, as though he knew exactly how nervous Chris had been to talk about this, expose something so personal to the world. He probably _had_ known. Chris’s anxiety was no secret, and he’d been wearing his emotions on his sleeve the entire afternoon while they prepped for the interview.

“I hope it keeps working for you both,” Jimmy said sincerely, still nodding. “So if you aren’t bringing her to the premiere, who did you invite?”

“Well, I’m inviting a few Patriots players,” said Chris, as he relaxed slightly. He grinned out at the audience as a few people cheered. “I don’t know if we got Patriots fans in the house.”

The rest of the interview went as smoothly as Chris could’ve hoped for. He didn’t bother trying to hide his infatuation with the Patriots and Tom Brady, and Jimmy called him out on it as a blush spread across his face. They discussed his tenure as Captain America. That was easy, familiar territory. Then they went to a quick break, and afterwards the rest of his team, as Jimmy called them, came out to join him.

After watching Sebastian, Anthony and Paul come out, after feeling Sebastian’s hands on his shoulders briefly and tugging Anthony into a quick hug, Chris finally relaxed fully. The camaraderie they’d lived with for months while they filmed the movie instantly surrounded him. Anthony was a fountain of jokes, as usual. They ragged on Paul, the new guy, and Sebastian surprised them all with a lube joke while somehow managing to look completely innocent.

The world hadn’t stopped, just because he’d acknowledged his relationship. Nothing had exploded. Nothing was on fire – at least, nothing he could see. Jimmy fired trivia questions at them, and pulled out their action figures to show them, and Chris laughed along with his friends. He could breathe again.

* * *

It didn’t take long for the story to hit the Internet. Tumblr exploded. Twitter wasn’t much better off. Articles sprung up everywhere, drawing on all the photos that had appeared over the last few weeks and quoting what Chris said on _Jimmy Kimmel_ to finally back up their claims. Chris and Mackenzie both received a flood of messages from their family and friends, including links to some of the articles. For the most part, the response was positive.

“It’s a little weird,” she admitted, tapping her fingernails slowly on the island countertop in Lisa Evans’ kitchen. “Nothing’s really changed. It’s still speculation because they don’t know who I am yet.”

Lisa nodded knowingly as she walked over to the sink, washing her hands. In the aftermath of Chris’s interview, she’d invited Mackenzie over to have dinner with some of the Evans family, later that week. Scott had returned to New York after the first dinner, but Carly and Shanna would be joining them later. Lisa had told Mackenzie an earlier arrival time than her daughters. She’d wanted time to talk to the woman one on one, to see how she was coping so far with the newly public relationship and with Chris being away for the next month. Lisa glanced over at Mackenzie and smiled sadly as she opened the fridge.

“Yet, honey,” she said, carrying a handful of ingredients from the fridge over to the counter. “It’s barely been two days. As soon as they work out who you are – and they will, trust me – _everything_ will change.”

“I know,” said Mackenzie quietly. “And I’m a little worried about it. But I think I’m ready. I’ll know what’s real, right? They can only guess.”

“Very true,” agreed Lisa. She paused in mixing up the cake batter for dessert, and pinned Mackenzie with one of her knowing, penetrating stares. “But if things get bad while Chris is gone, honey, you know we’re all here for you. You can call, or come over, at any time. And you talk to Chris. His team will set things straight at once.”

Mackenzie nodded, her cheeks tinged with a shy, appreciative smile.

“I know, Lisa,” she murmured. “Thank you.”

Lisa went back to mixing, and Mackenzie stared at the chocolate cake batter. Then she groaned.

“I can’t believe he’s not coming back for a month.”

Lisa chuckled. “He’s been gone longer.”

“I know, I know,” sighed Mackenzie, running a hand through her hair. “But it’s different this time. He’s lucky he’s worth the wait.”

Lisa began laughing loudly. She bent down to extract a cake tin from one of the cupboards and when she straightened up, she wiped a tear from the corner of one eye.

“Oh, I’m so glad my boy finally got his head out of his butt and asked you out,” she said through gasps for air, as her laughter died down. “I can’t think of anyone better for him.”

“Technically I asked him,” pointed out Mackenzie. She quickly regretted saying anything when Lisa’s eyes took on the same mischievous sparkle she often saw in Chris’s. “I did! I asked him out for lunch!”

“That’s not what he told me,” commented Lisa.

“What did he tell you?” asked Mackenzie nervously.

“That you did the whole thing completely backwards,” said Lisa, arching one teasing eyebrow. “Honestly, Mackenzie Higgins. I can’t believe you put out before the first date.”

Mackenzie blushed furiously. She covered her face with her hands to try and hide it while Lisa laughed.

“I can’t believe he told you that,” she moaned. She should have known Chris would tell his mother _everything_. He always did. “When he gets back I’m going to kill him.”

“No, you’re not,” said Lisa pleasantly, turning to put the cake in the oven.

“No, I’m not,” Mackenzie agreed exasperatedly, re-emerging from behind her hands. “I love the asshole too much to kill him. Plus he’s Captain America. The world would revolt if I killed Captain America. Did you see him in the pictures from the premiere yesterday? I mean, I know he’s your son and all but that suit! With the beard and the glasses… and it was only the first event. This is going to be the longest month of my life.”

That just set Lisa off laughing again. It was suddenly very clear to Mackenzie why Chris had developed his fully-body laugh. It was genetic, and infectious, and she couldn’t help laughing along with the older woman.

* * *

Mackenzie didn’t think twice about taking the dogs out for their usual exercise while Chris was gone, in the evening after work and in the morning on her days off. She wasn’t about to change her routine just because their relationship was now public knowledge. She hadn’t lost her anonymity yet. She planned on taking advantage of that as much as possible, while she still could.

Friday was no different. It took longer for Mackenzie to wrestle two excited dogs into their harnesses than it did when she only had Daisy to deal with, but she managed. They made it out the door in time to catch the last of the afternoon sunlight.

Before Chris had left, he’d walked Dodger himself and left Mackenzie her runs with Daisy. With him out of town, Mackenzie took both dogs at once. At first it had required some adjustment. She was used to Daisy’s goofball antics, but Chris hadn’t been joking when he said Dodger was a brat. The young dog stopped and sniffed at absolutely everything, which made running with him impossible. But Mackenzie compromised, and instead of a jog they went on a longer, steady walk around the neighbourhood.

She knew something was different the next day, though, as she walked down her porch steps on her way to work. She didn’t usually work on Saturdays, but Emma had asked for the weekend off to attend her cousin’s wedding. Mackenzie wrestled with her jacket as she headed for her carport – they’d had a bit of a cold snap overnight. She finally succeeded in getting her left arm in the sleeve and pulled out her car keys. But just as she pressed the button to unlock her car, she paused.

Something didn’t feel right.

She looked out towards the street with a frown. At first glance she didn’t see anything peculiar. Then she spotted the strange car parked a few yards down the street. Mackenzie was certain it didn’t belong to any of her neighbours, and she scanned the rest of the street again. Her fingers clenched around her car keys so hard her knuckles went white.

That definitely wasn’t one of her neighbours hiding behind a tree and aiming a long lens camera in her direction.

Mackenzie’s initial impulse was to run back inside the house, lock all the doors and windows, shut the curtains, and call Chris. His flight to Beijing wasn’t until later that afternoon. She took a step back before she stopped, steeled herself, and squared her shoulders. Angling her face away from the camera, Mackenzie walked towards her car. She locked herself in as soon as the door slammed shut and took a slow, calming breath.

She’d expected this. Yes, maybe it had happened a little sooner than she hoped it would, but she had known things were going to change after Chris’s interview. She could handle one lousy photographer.

Mackenzie turned the key in the ignition, backed slowly out of her driveway, and began driving the familiar route to the clinic. She watched in her rearview mirror as the photographer jumped into his car and followed her. She bit her lip. There probably wasn’t much point in trying to ditch him. If he knew where she lived, odds were he knew where she worked as well.

She pulled into the parking lot and hurried inside the clinic. Mark was alone at the front desk when Mackenzie came in, booting up the computer. He looked at her and frowned.

“What’s wrong?” he asked at once. Biting her lip, Mackenzie gestured towards the back office.

“Can we…?” she trailed off.

“Yeah, sure.”

Mark straightened and walked towards the back office. He held the door open for Mackenzie, and she set her handbag down on the table. Mark shut the door and looked at her expectantly.

“There was a guy waiting outside my house with a camera,” she mumbled. “He followed me here.”

“What?” exclaimed Mark. “Some creep followed you to work?”

He looked like he was about to run out in the parking lot and confront the guy. Mackenzie grabbed his arm before he could leave the room. She shook her head, but Mark’s indignation on her behalf somehow helped calm her down.

“It’s okay,” Mackenzie said, partly to convince Mark but mostly to convince herself. “I knew something like this was going to happen. I guess they worked out who I am.”

“That’s not okay though, Mack. It’s an invasion of privacy.”

“No, I – honestly, I knew it was coming,” she said, rubbing her face. She hadn’t even started work yet and she was already exhausted.

Mark eyed her. Then he nodded.

“Okay,” he conceded. “But if he tries to come in I’m calling the cops.”

“Yeah. I’m good with that.”

Mark pulled her into a hug. Mackenzie leaned into it, appreciating the offered the comfort. The last thing she’d expected when she woke up that morning was to be followed to work by her own personal paparazzo. She’d managed to hold it together so far, but it was still unsettling.

“Talk to Chris, okay? Let him know what’s happening,” he said quietly.

Mackenzie nodded. She was incredibly grateful for Mark’s presence in her life. At some point he’d become somewhat of a second father to her, and she listened to his advice when he gave it. He held her out at arms length, studied her for a moment, and then nodded as well. He grinned.

“Come on. Let’s get to work.”

* * *

Mackenzie left her cellphone in her purse during her shift, even though she heard it buzzing occasionally when she was in the back office. She kept her focus completely on her work, not even surfing the Internet like she usually did when there was a lull in appointments. There was a niggling suspicion growing in the pit of her stomach, but she managed to ignore it until after she went out with the dogs. Finally, after she hung up both harnesses and flopped down onto the couch, Mackenzie unlocked her phone to read the messages she’d received. They were, unsurprisingly, from hers and Chris’s family.

_Have you seen it?_

_You can come over tonight if you want, honey._

_Hey Macbeth, call me if you need to._

_It’s not a big deal, Mack. I’m here if you need someone to talk to._

They all read along the same vein, and Mackenzie couldn’t help smiling at the outpouring of support she was already receiving. But she needed to know exactly what they were talking about. She reached for her laptop, still where she’d left it last night on the coffee table. All it took was a quick search for ‘ _Chris_ _Evans’_ for Mackenzie to find the article they seemed to be talking about. She hesitated, but clicked on it anyway. She needed to know what it said about her.

_Chris Evans’s Mystery Girlfriend!_

_Three weeks ago, Captain America star Chris Evans was spotted out and about in his hometown of Boston walking two new dogs. Those dogs were seen again yesterday, this time without Evans. They were instead being walked by a woman who has been seen with Evans in many recent photos. Many will recall that in his last interview, Evans acknowledged he was in a relationship. Assuming this is the same person, we give you an exclusive first look at the woman responsible for breaking the hearts of millions of fans around the world._

What the article lacked in words it made up for with images. There were two. One was from yesterday afternoon, when she’d been walking the dogs. The other was from just that morning; she wasn’t looking directly at the camera, rather at something off to the side. They weren’t exactly the most flattering of photos, nor were they terrible.

But she was recognizable.

People who knew her would have no trouble identifying her if they saw either photo. That was what was worrying her the most as she went back and skimmed the text. All the man who’d followed her to work had to do was pull up the clinic website and he’d find her name next to her picture. It was that easy.

Mackenzie closed her Internet browser, and then shut her laptop. She sighed, set the laptop back on the coffee table and leaned back into the couch. The storm had finally started brewing, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Then she jumped when a blunt, damp object nudged her hand. Mackenzie looked down at Dodger and rolled her eyes.

“You glutton. It’s not dinner time yet.”

His plumy tail thumped on the floor heavily as he looked up at her, his mouth split open in a panting grin. Dodger nudged her hand again and whined quietly. Mackenzie sighed again and patted the empty space beside her on the couch. The dog jumped up straight away, sprawled out, and rested his head on her knee. She petted his head gently.

“Yeah, I miss him too, Dodge,” Mackenzie murmured. He whuffed in response. She scratched him behind the ears, stretched out for the remote and turned the TV on. “Only three weeks to go.”

* * *

Mackenzie woke up the next day to find herself in a nest of blankets and dogs. She stirred, pushed Daisy’s heavy head off her stomach, and rolled over to come face to face with Dodger. He licked a long stripe down her cheek, and Mackenzie grimaced. She used the sheet to wipe her face and sat up. She tried to glare at him but she couldn’t keep it up when he stared back at her with wide brown eyes. She sighed, ruffled his ears, and slid out of bed.

The floorboards were cool under her feet as she walked out into the kitchen. Mackenzie yawned as she pressed buttons on the coffee machine, and watched impatiently as it gurgled into action. She used the time her coffee took to brew to grab the milk from the fridge, and to fill up Daisy and Dodger’s bowls. Adding a splash of milk to her coffee, Mackenzie sank into a chair at her kitchen table. She dragged her laptop across the table towards her, and opened it. She sipped from her coffee as the laptop booted up.

She went straight to her email program after she logged in, and waited for it to load impatiently. New emails popped up slowly; next week’s roster from Mark, a couple of emails from clothing stores – and an email from Chris. She clicked on it at once.

_Hey Macaroni,_

_How did we all function without wifi everywhere we go? I guess I can’t complain because it’s letting me send this from the plane. I know you’re asleep right now but I’m not sure I’ll have the chance to call you when we land in Beijing. We’ve got a pretty hectic schedule lined up from basically the minute we hit the tarmac. It’s going to be insane, but I’m sure there will be plenty of photos for you to drool over – yes, Ma passed that bit of info along._

_God, babe. Just when I think you can’t surprise me anymore._

_I miss you so much, you don’t even know. Actually, I hope you do know because that means you’re missing me just as much. If you’re not, well, rude. I bet Dodger and Daisy miss me, at least._

_I love you, Mackenzie. I can’t wait to see you again. I’d book you a flight to meet me somewhere if I didn’t know you’d protest it. This will be the longest month I’ve ever lived through._

_Love,_

_Your favourite goofball man-child,_

_Chris_

By the time she finished the email, Mackenzie’s cheeks were beginning to hurt from smiling. She had heard everything she’d just read in Chris’s voice, and could even visualise the exact facial expressions he would have made if he’d been in front of her speaking. It only reinforced how much more she was missing him this time, compared to before.

She flipped through the other emails, lingering slightly on the roster to check that her hours were what she expected. Then she shut down the program, closed her laptop, and took her cup of coffee with her back to her bedroom. She stopped in the doorway with the cup paused halfway to her mouth, and snorted at what she was seeing.

“You two are ridiculous,” said Mackenzie flatly, trying not to laugh.

When she’d left the bedroom, Daisy and Dodger had been on either side of where she’d been sleeping. Now they had gathered in the middle of the mattress, Dodger draped over Daisy, and they both stared at her with round, doleful brown eyes.

“Don’t look at me like that,” she protested, shaking her head. “I’m not going to make you move.”

That didn’t stop the dogs from eyeing her as she crossed the room. She could feel them staring at her as she pulled out clothes from her wardrobe. Mackenzie changed into her running clothes and spun around to frown mockingly at the two dogs. They blinked back at her.

“Don’t get used to it,” she warned, shaking her finger at them. “You know Chris won’t like it. Come on, who wants to go for a walk?”

The dogs responded by wagging their tails, and leapt off the bed as soon as the word ‘walk’ left Mackenzie’s mouth. After she finished lacing up her sneakers she found them waiting for her by the front door.

“Well, at least we’ve got this part of the routine worked out by now,” she joked to herself. She reached for Daisy’s harness first, but before she could touch it she heard her cellphone ringing. “Shit. Knew I forgot something.”

Mackenzie heard Daisy whine as she jogged back to her bedroom. She scooped up her cellphone and her brow furrowed at the Caller ID. She couldn’t think of a reason for Scott Evans to be calling her on a Sunday morning.

“Hey Scotty!” she said brightly. “Perfect timing, I was just about to go out with the dogs.”

“ _Hey Mack_ ,” said Scott. He sounded a little tense. “ _You might want to hold off on that_.”

“What?” said Mackenzie, blinking. “Why?”

“ _Well, you see…_ ” he hesitated. “ _They know who you are, now._ ”

It took a moment for Mackenzie to understand what Scott meant by his cryptic statement, and when she did she laughed nervously.

“When you put it like that it sounds kind of dramatic.”

“ _Some of these articles_ can _be dramatic_ ,” admitted Scott.

Mackenzie bit her lip. “Is it bad?”

“ _No, no!_ ” he said in a rush. “ _I mean – okay, not going to lie, there are some nasty ones but there always are. I wouldn’t have called, but I promised Chris I’d look out for you and –_ ”

“Really? That’s so sweet!” she said, before frowning. “At least, I think it is.”

Scott sighed, continuing on as if Mackenzie hadn’t interrupted him.

“ _Look, I’m just worried because they’ve found out where you work. All the stuff in your website bio, it’s public knowledge now._ ”

“Yeah,” she mumbled. “I’m not that surprised. There was a guy with a camera outside my house yesterday and he kind of followed me to work?”

“ _What?!_ ” She winced at Scott’s yelp. “ _Mack, what the fuck, why wouldn’t you tell us that? Please tell me you told Chris, at least_.”

“How could I?” Mackenzie protested. “I was working and he’s on a plane to China. I mean, granted he did manage to email me from the plane but he sent it a couple of hours ago and I only read it this morning and he’s probably asleep now and it’s not like there’s any point replying or mentioning it to him because he’s halfway around the world and –”

“ _You’re rambling_ ,” said Scott bluntly. Mackenzie hummed in agreement. “ _You do that when you’re trying to avoid the issue_.”

“How do you –?”

“ _Chris told me._ ”

“Right,” she muttered. “Of course he did.”

“ _You should tell him. Or at least let us mention it to his team. It’s not okay that someone was stalking you, fuck_.”

Perching on the edge of her bed, Mackenzie couldn’t help smiling despite how serious she knew Scott was. He’d become like an older brother to her in the years she’d known Chris. She appreciated where he was coming from, and she told him as much.

“I don’t want to tell him,” she added quietly. “This is a huge press tour, Scott. He’s doing so much and there’s an insane amount of publicity. He was worried enough before his interview with Jimmy Kimmel and I know he still is, even if he tried to pretend he wasn’t. I don’t want this to distract him more than it already is. It’s the last thing Chris needs and it’s the last thing his anxiety needs. I know he’ll hear about it eventually, but I’m not going to tell him about it. I can’t. I can’t do that to him.”

Scott was quiet on the other end of the call, but she waited patiently. She knew the silence meant he was thinking about what she told him. Mackenzie hoped he understood where she was coming from. She could handle this by herself, at least for now. She knew she could.

“ _Okay_ ,” he said eventually. “ _Okay, I agree with you on most of that. But Mack, if anything else happens, and by that I mean if anyone else_ follows you home _because fucking hell that’s_ not _okay, you need_ _to tell him! He’s got lawyers to deal with this kind of shit, okay?”_

“I know,” said Mackenzie softly. “I promised Chris I would, especially if things got crazy.”

“ _And someone following you to work isn’t –_ ”

“It wasn’t that crazy. I’ve heard about crazier things happening.”

“ _But_ –”

“Scott,” she ground out.

“ _Okay, fine! Sorry. I’m just saying, I’ve never had anyone follow me to work. I would’ve called the cops the minute they tried._ ”

“Look, I’ll be fine. I can take care of myself.”

“ _Just looking out for you_ ,” Scott sang. “ _Like I promised Chris. Okay. Well, if you’re sure you’ll be fine_ _–_ ”

“I will be!”

“ _– I’ll let you go. Remember, we’re just a phone call away if you need any of us. Talk to you later, Macaroni!_ ”

“Hey! Only Chris is allowed to call me that!”

She wasn’t sure if Scott heard her before he hung up, so she settled for glaring at his contact picture until it faded to black. Digging her phone armband out from her bedside table drawer, Mackenzie fastened it around her arm and slipped her phone into it. She grabbed her headphones, plugged them in, and looped the cord around her neck before heading back to the front door. The dogs were still there waiting for her.

But they didn’t end up going for a walk. Mackenzie looked out the living room window before she finished getting the dogs harnessed, and was glad she did. She recognised a car parked across the street as the same one that had followed her to work the day before. The driver was staring at the house, and Mackenzie ducked back behind the curtains before he saw her.

She didn’t want to spend her day off knowing that she was being followed. If that meant the dogs were more restless than usual for the rest of the day, well, she’d deal with it. Instead, not wanting to mislead the dogs any more, Mackenzie went back to her bedroom. On the way she grabbed her laptop from the kitchen, and after changing into leggings and one of the sweaters she’d stolen from Chris before he left. Then she crawled into the middle of her bed and opened up her laptop for the second time that morning. After barely a second’s hesitation, she typed her name into Google.

_Chris Evans’ Mystery Girlfriend No Longer a Mystery!_

_Meet Doctor Mackenzie Higgins. The 29-year-old is the reason Captain America actor Chris Evans is no longer on the dating market. The veterinarian is a Boston native and, we can confirm, is also the owner of the Dalmatian Evans was seen with earlier this year._

_After his heartfelt admission on_ Jimmy Kimmel Live! _, acknowledging their fledgling relationship, it’s clear to see Chris is in it for the long haul. We hope the same can be said for Mackenzie; with their relationship seven years in the making, the last thing we want is for Chris to get his heart broken._

Considering how concerned Scott had sounded on the phone, the articles were pretty tame. They all repeated the same information; she read multiple versions of the short bio she’d written for the clinic’s webpage. What worried Mackenzie most was that they’d made it incredibly easy for anyone to recognise her on the street or find out where she worked if they wanted. Grimacing, Mackenzie closed her laptop and placed it on her bedside table. Then she looked at Daisy, who had joined her on the bed.

“I guess we’re staying in today,” she said, with a strained smile. Daisy opened her eyes, wagged her tail twice, and went back to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So obviously I implied some changes to the Anna Faris podcasts Chris was on, and I paraphrased and reworked part of his interview on Jimmy Kimmel to fit my purposes. Please don’t throw things at me for not having it verbatim. :3


	3. Chapter 3

Spending her Sunday confined to the house gave Mackenzie plenty of time to think about how she wanted to react to the articles. She had two obvious choices: she could change the way she lived, or behave as if nothing had happened. She decided on the latter. They weren’t saying anything she hadn’t already published online herself. Well, she had a problem with them saying she might break Chris’s heart; but then again, if that was the worst they came up with she could put up with it.

For the first couple of days, everything was fine. Chris had his premieres in Beijing and Singapore, as well as several press conferences. No one asked about the relationship, and no one bothered Mackenzie – much. She soon noticed that, as the week progressed, the man who had originally been outside her house with his camera had gained a couple of friends. She began to feel like she was being followed, especially when she was walking the dogs. Her suspicions were eventually confirmed when a few more sporadic articles popped up, accompanied by new photos. She changed the route they took daily, but it didn’t seem to make a difference.

She tried not to let it get to her. She went to work. She came home. She walked the dogs. She did everything exactly how she would have done it before having her name connected to Chris’s online. But by the end of the week, Mackenzie was exhausted. Thankfully it was her week to have Saturday off. When she got home from walking the dogs on Friday evening she was ready to order Thai food, run herself a hot bath, soak away the stress she’d been compartmentalizing, and then go to bed early.

She managed most of it. Mackenzie had just drained the cold water from the bathtub and barely had time to wrap her robe around her body when she heard a noise coming from her bedroom. It wasn’t a ringtone she recognised, but when she walked into her bedroom she saw that it actually was her phone, vibrating in the middle of the bed.

“… _And you don’t know why, but you’re dying to try, you wanna kiss the girl. Yes, you want her. Look at her, you know you –_ ”

Mackenzie picked it up with a frown, and rolled her eyes when she saw who was calling. Wrapping her robe more tightly around her body, she slid her thumb across the screen and lifted the phone to her ear.

“Hey, dork.”

There was silence, and then –

“ _Really? It’s been two weeks since I’ve talked to you, and the first thing you say to me is ‘hey, dork’?_ ”

“You can’t be surprised. You _are_ a dork.”

“ _I was going to tell you how much I miss you_ ,” deadpanned Chris. “ _But I don’t think I will, now_.”

Mackenzie giggled quietly.

“I miss you too,” she replied, perching on the edge of her bed. “It’s so good to hear your voice again.”

“ _Babe, you have no idea_ ,” said Chris emphatically. “ _I’ve spent so much time with Seb and Mackie lately, they’re great, don’t get me wrong, but hearing your voice is – I have no words._ ”

“That’s a first,” she teased. “You always have something to say.”

“ _Not this time. I’d rather just listen to you this time_.”

“Okay. Chris, sweetheart,” she began. “When, exactly, did you get the chance to change my ringtone?”

His laughter was slightly tinny through the phone, but still brought a smile to Mackenzie’s face.

“ _The morning I left, while you were in the kitchen. I only changed it for when I call you._ ”

“I figured, or I would have realised it earlier.”

“ _You know you love_ The Little Mermaid.”

“Yeah, I do,” agreed Mackenzie. “But _Kiss The Girl_? Don’t you think that’s a bit clichéd?”

“ _Nope. It’s right on the money._ ” He paused. “ _How are you doing, babe? Scott sent me an email._ ”

“Scott’s a busybody,” Mackenzie replied at once. “What did he tell you?”

“ _Just that there have been some articles popping up that include your name_ ,” said Chris, clearly concerned.

“I’m fine, I promise. I haven’t looked at anything since the first stuff with my name in it, and that was basically nothing. They stole it all from my clinic bio, it’s nothing I didn’t already have out there.”

“ _You’d tell me if you weren’t?_ ”

“You know I would,” she said seriously. “I don’t want to be bothered as much as you don’t want me to be bothered.” She paused. “Did that make sense?”

Chris laughed again.

“ _Yeah, I know what you mean. That’s good. I’m glad they’re leaving you alone for the most part._ ”

“Me too,” said Mackenzie. She was glad he couldn’t see her. He’d instantly be able to tell that she wasn’t telling him the whole truth. “So how did you get time to call me? You’re not in London yet, are you?”

“ _No, still in Singapore. We leave later today, actually. Hey, you know what would be even better than hearing your voice?_ ”

“What?”

“ _If I could see you, too.”_

She hesitated. “You want to video chat?”

“ _If you’re okay with it. I mean – I’m not keeping you from anything, am I?”_

“No. I was just about to go to bed, actually.”

_“But it’s not even nine!”_

“It’s been a long week, okay?” said Mackenzie defensively. “I’m going to get my laptop. FaceTime me in like, three minutes.”

“ _Okay. I love you, Mack. See you soon._ ”

“Love you too. Dork.”

Before he could complain about her calling him a dork again, Mackenzie hung up. She jumped off the bed, leaving her phone on the bedside table, and went to grab her laptop from the living room. She stopped for a moment to consider her options, and then pulled down the blankets. Mackenzie crawled into bed and crossed her legs beneath her, balancing her computer in her lap. She watched as the FaceTime icon began bobbing, and accepted Chris’s call as soon as the video window appeared.

“ _Hey!_ ” he said, waving at her.

She waved back. Chris looked like he was also in bed. His bare chest filled her screen as he leaned back against a stack of pillows. Mackenzie bit her lip and hoped he couldn’t tell she was blushing. A physical reaction was to be expected, she reasoned with herself. He’d been gone a long time.

“Hey,” she finally said in return, smiling at the screen after dragging her eyes away from his Eckhart Tolle tattoo. “I thought you said they were keeping you super busy over there?”

Chris smirked at her, and Mackenzie knew her ogling hadn’t gone unnoticed. He ran a hand through his hair, succeeding in making his bed-head fluffier than usual, and nodded.

“ _Yeah, but not today. I don’t have to be downstairs until quarter to ten. That’s when our ride leaves for the airport._ ”

“You sacrificed your sleep-in to call me?”

He shrugged. “ _It wasn’t exactly a sacrifice, babe. I’ll be able to get some sleep on the plane before I need to start worrying about jet lag. And besides, I might have an ulterior motive._ ”

“You wouldn’t be you if you didn’t,” Mackenzie commented. Chris frowned at her playfully, and she grinned. “What’s your ulterior motive?”

“ _Well…_ ” drawled Chris. “ _I can’t help noticing you’re wearing your bathrobe. Are you wearing anything else underneath it?”_

“Chris!”

“ _What?_ ” he said innocently. “ _I haven’t seen you for two weeks, you can’t blame me for asking._ ”

“Oh my God,” she muttered. Her cheeks were burning as she met Chris’s eyes through the computer. “I – no. No, I’m not.”

She heard his low whistle through her laptop speakers.

“ _Mackenzie, baby_ ,” said Chris seriously. “ _You’re good with this?_ ”

Mackenzie bit her lip and traced her fingers along the collar of her bathrobe. Chris’s gaze flickered towards the movement, and she saw him swallow before he met her eyes again. She hummed. Her hand drifted down to her belt and she toyed with it.

“Yeah,” Mackenzie murmured in reply. “I mean, I’ve never done – _this_ before. But I want to.”

She could have sworn she saw an almost predatory gleam in Chris’s eyes as he nodded. He shifted suddenly on the screen. When the picture focused again, she could see that he’d set his laptop on the bed, off to one side. It gave her a better view of his body, the sheets riding low on his hips.

“ _Mack_.”

“Hm?” she hummed, looking back at his face.

“ _You should put your laptop somewhere else._ ”

“Oh. Yeah. Um…” She looked around. “Where?”

“ _At your feet. On the other side of the bed. Wherever you want it,_ ” Chris told her. He shrugged. “ _I mean, I’d like to see exactly what you’re doing, but you should be comfortable with it, babe._ ”

Mackenzie hesitated before she kicked the sheets away, to the foot of the bed. She placed the computer off to her side, down the mattress where, hopefully, it would give Chris a decent enough view of her body. She shuffled back up towards the headboard and propped herself up with her pillow.

“Is that good?”

“ _Yeah, Mack. Perfect_.”

Her lips twitched into a smile. “Okay. Now what?”

“ _Now I think you should lose the robe._ ”

“What, just like that?” she complained mockingly. “What kind of girl do you think I am, Christopher?”

At the same time, Mackenzie loosened her belt and slid her robe slowly off her shoulders. The silky material pooled around her waist, exposing skin still damp from her bath to the webcam and the cool air of the bedroom. Mackenzie felt her skin prickle with goosebumps, felt her nipples pebble and harden. She couldn’t tell if it was because of the change in temperature or because Chris was watching from the other side of the world.

Mackenzie heard him groan softly, and in response she arched her chest. The movement emphasized the curves of her breasts.

“ _I wish I was there right now_ ,” murmured Chris. “ _God, baby, the things I would do to you._ ”

“Like what?” she asked coyly, bringing a hand up to cup her breast. She moved her fingers over her skin lightly, almost tickling herself with how faint her touch was. “Tell me.”

“ _I’d take my time_ ,” Chris replied. Clasping his hands behind his head, he leaned back against the headboard. Even on the computer screen, his biceps were huge. “ _I’d kiss my way down your neck, over your throat, your collarbone. So slowly, baby, until you were begging for me to do more. Then I’d kiss your tits, but not where you want me to kiss straight away. You’ve got the prettiest tits. I’d kiss everywhere else, every other inch of skin on your chest, before I’d pinch one of your nipples gently and suck on the other one.”_

Mackenzie couldn’t help herself. She cupped her breasts, kneading gently, and whimpered quietly as Chris spoke. She squeezed her nipples, and they hardened even more at her touch.

“ _Like that, gorgeous,”_ Chris added, so quietly she barely heard him. She opened her eyes and glanced back at the screen. She hadn’t realised she’d closed them in the first place. “ _Gonna jump you when I get back_.”

“I better not pick you up from the airport, then,” she replied. “Captain America can’t jump his girlfriend in public.”

She tugged on her nipples again as Chris’s low chuckle rumbled through her laptop speakers. Wriggling back against the pillows, Mackenzie arched up into her own touch and sighed. It wasn’t the same as having Chris with her, having his hands on her – it didn’t even come close. But it would have to make do for now. It was the best they could manage.

Mackenzie heard Chris groan again, and looked back at the screen. She bit her lip, hands pausing in their methodical movements, and stared. He’d pushed the sheets away from his waist. She watched as Chris stroked his cock, slowly, almost lazily, to full attention.

“Yeah,” Mackenzie said, when she found her voice again. “I can’t meet you at the airport. We’ll get arrested for public indecency.”

Chris laughed, a full laugh this time and not a chuckle. His cock bobbed in his hand. Mackenzie traced her hand down her stomach, beneath the material of her bathrobe, and cupped her mound. Before she could slide a finger through her folds, relieve some of the heat and pressure building between her thighs, Chris’s voice rang out.

 _“No. Don’t touch yourself yet._ ”

She whimpered loudly, not bothering to try and hide the sound. She looked at the computer screen, staring at him in bewilderment.

“ _Don’t touch yourself yet, baby_ ,” he repeated. He was still stroking his cock. She could see pre-come beading at the tip, before he ran his hand over it and spread it along his length. “ _Stand up_.”

“Chris, what –?”

“ _Trust me, Mack_ ,” he said softly. “ _Stand up. Lose the robe properly._ ”

She did as she was told, slithering off the bed a little clumsier than usual, and let the robe fall to her feet. She felt the beginning of a blush heat up her cheeks as Chris eyed her naked body. She wrapped her arms around her waist as a wave of shyness washed over her.

“ _I hid a present for you in your bedroom before I left,_ ” said Chris casually. “ _Look in your sock drawer. Back right corner._ ”

She frowned, but went to her dresser. She opened the drawer he’d specified, and dug around for a moment before finding something that was definitely not a pair of socks. Mackenzie returned with the paper bag, perched on the edge of the bed, and stared at Chris expectantly. He just grinned.

“ _Open it_.”

She couldn’t help the squeak that escaped her when she opened it. Tipping the bag upside down, the contents fell onto the bed beside her and she poked at them cautiously.

“ _They’re not going to bite you, Mack_.”

She raised her eyebrows and wordlessly held up the small, sparkly purple butt plug that had been in the bag. Chris laughed again.

“ _Okay, yeah, that one we’ll talk about before we use it. If we use it. The other one, gorgeous.”_

The other one was also purple, not sparkly, and average in size. It was smooth against her skin, a decent weight in her hand when she picked it up. She studied it, chewing on her bottom lip as she thought about the dildo’s intended use. She squeezed her thighs together when her core throbbed.

“ _I want you to use that,_ ” he added. “ _I want to watch you use it._ ”

Mackenzie exhaled slowly, a shuddering breath that coincided with a tremor of anticipation. The butt plug disappeared back into the paper bag, which she set on the floor before she sprawled back on the bed. Her lingering apprehension was fading away, slowly but surely. Bringing one hand back to her breast, pinching her nipple again, she brought the dildo to her mouth and gave it an experimental lick, swiping her tongue along the silicone surface.

She wrinkled her nose at the taste, but it was worth it when she heard Chris’s low grunt. Mackenzie glanced back at him, still resting the dildo on her lower lip, and raised an eyebrow.

“Problem?”

“ _Only that I’m not there with you_ ,” Chris replied. “ _Go on, Mack. Use it. I want to see you get off._ ”

She whimpered, closing her eyes, and squeezed her legs together uselessly. Her core was throbbing, and she hadn’t even touched herself yet. When she opened her eyes, she stared at Chris.

“I want you to – tell me what to do,” she said shyly. “Please, Chris.”

He groaned, and his cock twitched in his hand.

“ _You’re killing me, Mackenzie,_ ” he murmured. “ _The things I’m going to do to you when I get home, God. Okay. I want you to treat that dildo like it’s my cock. Suck on it, baby. Get it wet. And while you’re doing that, rub your clit. Tease it, get yourself ready for my cock._ ”

Mackenzie moaned softly around the dildo, slipping a hand between her legs. _Finally_. She slid two fingers along her slit, dipping them inside to coat them in her arousal before pressing them lightly against her clit. She inhaled sharply. Chris’s voice, the dildo; the entire situation had her close to the edge already. Taking the dildo out of her mouth, she rested it between her breasts as she rubbed her clit in slow circles.

“Not gonna need much,” she said breathlessly, watching Chris stroke his cock. He tilted his head curiously.

“ _You’re soaked already, aren’t you, baby?_ ” Mackenzie nodded. Chris palmed the head of his cock, hissing quietly. “ _Then rub that toy along your pussy. When you’re ready, when it’s nice and slick, slide it in like it’s me, taking my time filling you up with my cock._ ”

She whimpered, Chris’s last words coinciding with the tip of the dildo rubbing against her clit. It didn’t take long for her to cover the dildo in her juices, and she teased her entrance for a few seconds. She couldn’t take it anymore, and slid the dildo into herself. Somehow Mackenzie resisted the urge to push it in quickly and went slowly, like Chris had told her to. She moaned quietly at the full feeling. It wasn’t the same as having Chris’s cock inside her, but it was better than just her fingers by far.

Chris grunted, and Mackenzie looked at the laptop. She could see his erection was stiff, red and weeping, even on the screen, but it was almost like Chris was stroking on autopilot. His eyes were glued to her.

“ _Fuck yourself on that toy, baby_ ,” he said. His voice was rough as he worked his hand over his cock. “ _But don’t touch your clit yet_.”

She pulled the dildo out as slowly as she’d pushed it in, and then thrust it back into her pussy. She set a steady rhythm, trying to move the dildo as fast as Chris could thrust into her.

“Chris,” she whined, arching off the bed when she successfully angled the toy to hit her g-spot. “Chris, oh my God, please.”

“ _Please what, baby?_ ”

“Please, I want to come, want to come with you,” babbled Mackenzie. She squeezed her breast with the hand not working the dildo. “Miss you. Miss having you next to me, touching me, miss having your mouth on me. Please. I’m so close, Chris, please, I want to come.”

Chris groaned, and began moving his hand over his cock even faster.

“ _Touch your clit then, baby_ ,” he told her. His eyes were fixed to where she was thrusting the dildo in and out of her pussy. His hips jerked almost in time with Mackenzie’s as she reached down, her fingers finding her clit again. “ _I want to see you come._ ”

Her rhythm with the toy faltered slightly as she worked her fingers over her aching clit, but soon Mackenzie was writhing on the bed, mewling happily as she felt herself building towards an orgasm. The dildo was rubbing over her g-spot with almost every thrust now. Her clit was slippery beneath her fingers as she teased it. Heat pooled behind her navel, so much that she thought she was going to explode, and she rubbed her fingers over her clit desperately.

“Chris,” she whimpered, not even knowing what she was saying. “Chris, oh my God.”

“ _Come, Mackenzie. Come for me, baby. I’m with you, I’m right here._ ”

The sound of his voice had her tumbling over the edge. She pressed down on her clit as her orgasm broke, kept pumping the dildo as much as she could as she arched off the bed. She quivered as the heat from behind her navel rippled out through the rest of her body, and as the last few waves rolled through her, she slumped back against the bed. She looked at the laptop dazedly, just in time to see Chris thrust up into his hand as he came. The sight, and his hoarse grunt, had her trembling as an aftershock washed over her.

Mackenzie let go of the dildo. It slid out of her, falling onto the mattress as she wrapped her arms around herself. She rolled over, her eyes fixed on the laptop, and she grinned tiredly as she watched Chris reach for some tissues.

“Clean-up’s a bitch, isn’t it?” she teased, surprised by how husky her voice was. Chris snorted. “Was – was that good for you?”

“ _Yeah, Mack_ ,” said Chris, soft and serious. “ _Of course it was, babe. Sounded like it was good for you too._ ”

“Definitely,” she murmured. “That toy – it doesn’t look like much, and it’s not going to replace you anytime soon, but it did the job pretty well.”

“ _Good. I’d just have to buy you a different one if it wasn’t up to scratch_.”

Mackenzie giggled, but it quickly turned into a yawn.

“I miss you,” she managed to say. “I can’t wait for you to come home.”

“ _I miss you too,_ ” he said. “ _Only two weeks left._ ”

“Feels like fucking forever,” mumbled Mackenzie, yawning again. Chris smiled at her fondly.

“ _Go to bed, baby. I can see you’re tired._ ”

“But I want to talk to you,” she protested. “It’s been ages since we’ve had the chance. Sleep can wait, I have tomorrow off.”

“ _It’s okay, Mack. You look exhausted. We’ll get the chance to talk again. Get some sleep, baby._ ”

“Fine,” she conceded with a pout. “But you owe me time.”

Chris laughed. “ _I’m more than okay with that. I love you, Mack. Good night.”_

“Love you too, Chris. Bye.”

Then he was leaning forward, shutting off the video chat, and Mackenzie was almost overwhelmed by the sudden feeling of loneliness that rushed through her when his face disappeared from the screen. She rolled onto her back, and bit her lip as she fought away the feeling. _Two weeks,_ she told herself. _Just got to last for two more weeks_.

She pushed herself into an upright position, reached for her laptop, and closed the lid. Then, when she trusted her legs not to give way beneath her, she stood up and carried it over to her dresser. She set it down on top, and began to search through her dresser for something to wear to bed.

She settled on one of Chris’s old shirts, one of the ones he usually wore when he went running, or when they were just lounging around the house. Mackenzie pulled it over her head. Then she went back to the bed, grabbing both the dildo and the paper bag containing Chris’s other present. She took them across the hall with her, leaving them in the bathroom. She’d deal with them later. She went out into the living room, opened the porch door with a whistle, and then followed the dogs back to her bedroom.

Mackenzie crawled into bed, tugging the blankets back up from the foot of the bed and tucking them in around her chin tightly. She smiled tiredly when she felt the bed dip twice, indicating that both Daisy and Dodger had jumped up to join her. She rolled over and shut her eyes.

“Night, Daisy. Night, Dodger,” she murmured, the words barely audible. “Night, Chris. Two weeks.”

* * *

She slept through her alarm the next morning, but it didn’t matter. Like she’d told Chris, she had the day off and she planned to spend it doing as little as was physically possible. She shortened the walk she took the dogs on after breakfast, and curled up on the couch when they got back. The dogs didn’t seem to mind, keeping her company as well as keeping her feet warm while Mackenzie watched reruns of _Gilmore Girls_ and drank ridiculous amounts of tea. Without Chris there to mock her for it, she broke out her hidden stash of loose-leaf Chai.

It paid off, because on Sunday Mackenzie woke up feeling more refreshed than she had since Chris had left. She was more than ready for her shift, and greeted Mark and Travis with a bright smile when she walked into the clinic. Their return smiles felt a little stilted to Mackenzie, but she brushed her misgivings aside. Not everyone had spent their Saturday relaxing after enjoying surprisingly satisfying webcam sex with their boyfriend.

On Monday, however, when her day of relaxation was starting to wear off, she realised that they actually were behaving strangely around her. She didn’t bring it up at work – she had more important things to worry about, namely that day’s patients – but as soon as she got home, she opened up Google on her laptop and typed her name into the search engine.

Mackenzie waited for the page to load, and regretted it as soon as it did. She bit her lip as the results filled the screen. She could tell from the headlines that they weren’t going to be pleasant reading.

_Chris Evans’s New Girlfriend Using Him For Fame_

_Chris Evans Cringing About New Relationship_

_Captain America Actor Chris Evans Regrets Moving Too Quickly_

Her cursor hovered over the first link, and she fought a vicious mental battle with herself before her curiosity won out. It was terrible journalism, accusing Mackenzie of using Chris for publicity, which really made no sense considering how private they were keeping their relationship. It contained a handful of lines attributed to ‘someone close to the couple’, which Mackenzie knew was bullshit. Their family and friends would never talk to the media about their relationship, and especially not about something so ridiculous.

She knew she should have stopped reading after the first one, but she couldn’t help herself. It took another three articles to get Mackenzie to close her Internet browser, and as soon as she did she reached for her cellphone. She didn’t know what Chris was doing, or how much it would cost to call him in London, but she needed to talk to him.

“Come on, Chris, pick up,” she mumbled, her knee bouncing in agitation as she pressed her phone to her ear. “Damn it!”

Mackenzie hung up when his voicemail message began to play, and tossed her phone across the room. It landed on the armchair, bouncing across the seat and sliding into the crease between the seat and the back. She rubbed her hand over her face and blinked rapidly, not wanting to cry. It was midnight in London, she worked out after some quick mental calculations. Chris had the London premiere tomorrow; of course he wasn’t going to answer the phone.

Of course it would work out that the first time Mackenzie wanted, needed, to talk to him, he wouldn’t be available.

Mackenzie stood, biting her lip, and collected her cellphone from where it had landed. She laughed hollowly as she walked into her bedroom, and flopped back onto her bed. They’d basically said that she was a slut; that the only reason she’d snagged Chris in the first place was because of how amazingly talented she was in bed.

She contemplated calling someone else – maybe her mother, or Lisa, or Scott, even – but she quickly decided against it. There was nothing they’d be able to do about it. There was nothing they could say right now to change how hurt she was by the article.

That was what surprised Mackenzie most. She thought she’d prepared herself, braced herself for anything they might come up with to undermine what she and Chris had. Yet she still felt like crying. She still wanted to talk to Chris, have him tell her that the article was ridiculous; of course he wasn’t with her just for the sex, he loved her. But she couldn’t, because he was halfway around the world and he hadn’t answered the phone.

Grimacing, Mackenzie rolled off the bed. As much as she wanted to wallow for the rest of the evening, it wasn’t going to achieve anything. Besides, she had the dogs to take care of. There was no way they were going for a walk that evening, not after what she’d just read; who knew who might be out there waiting for her. She’d just have to wear the dogs out playing in the backyard.

* * *

Chris didn’t return her call, but Mackenzie understood why. For one, it would probably have been something like 2am her time if he’d tried, and he also had the premiere to worry about. She was glad her impulsive call didn’t distract him from that. She could manage another day without talking to him. She was strong enough for that. She pushed the article out of her mind the next day, and focused solely on her job. It worked, for the most part.

In hindsight, Mackenzie was surprised it didn’t happen earlier. She probably should have expected it. But she didn’t, and that was what made it all the more shocking that a reporter actually had the guts to come into the clinic.

The man came in without a scheduled appointment, carrying a cardboard box. Apparently he’d found a litter of kittens in an alley near his house, with no sign of their mother anywhere. The clinic was closest to his house, so he’d packed them into the box and headed straight over. It was only twenty minutes until the next free appointment, so he waited. He was all smiles and concern as Mackenzie led him to the exam room, setting the box on the table. She unfolded the lid carefully, not wanting to frighten the animals, and cooed at the contents. Five tiny kittens blinked back at her.

“Hi. Hi there! Aren’t you adorable?”

She reached into the box and withdrew the first kitten, all black and white fluff and big blue eyes. It mewed loudly as she held it to her chest, smoothing the fur on its head gently.

“It’s okay, sweetheart,” she cooed. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

The kitten, a little girl, quieted as soon as Mackenzie put her back into the box with her siblings. As she pulled out another kitten, black with tiny white socks, she glanced over at the man who had brought them in. He’d been very quiet so far, almost too quiet.

“You said you never saw their mother anywhere?”

The man shook his head. “I only spotted them this the weekend and figured I’d keep an eye out for their mother. I didn’t want to separate them. But she never showed up.”

“It’s a good thing you brought them in, then,” Mackenzie replied, returning the second kitten to the box and reaching for a third. “I can’t say for certain how long she’s been gone, but these guys aren’t quite old enough to be weaned yet. They’re underweight and dehydrated.”

“But they’ll be okay now?”

“Oh, yeah, definitely,” said Mackenzie. “Aw, another girl.”

“My daughter wanted to keep them,” said the man. “But my wife is allergic, so it’s out of the question.”

“You can get hypoallergenic breeds, if that’s the only problem you have,” she replied, and grinned. “Or if she wears you down.”

The man laughed, but there was something stilted about it. Brushing it aside, she picked up the fourth kitten.

“Yeah,” he said. “It might come to that. You have kids?”

“No. Hopefully one day,” Mackenzie admitted. She felt a little uncomfortable, talking about something so personal with someone she didn’t know. “My brother and I begged our parents for a dog for years, though. It never worked, so the first thing I did when I got my own place was get my dog.”

She set down the fourth kitten and picked up the last. It was by far the loudest, and Mackenzie grinned at it. Then the man spoke again.

“It’s you, isn’t it? You're the one dating Chris Evans.”

The grin fell off her face as she wiped it blank.

“That’s really none of your business,” she replied flatly. She placed the kitten back with its siblings and folded the lid. “We’ll keep them here, fatten them up a bit, and when they’re weaned and old enough we’ll find homes for them. Thanks for bringing them in.”

“Oh, no problem. I couldn’t leave them there to die. And I’m sorry. It’s just, my daughter is a huge Captain America fan.”

Mackenzie’s lips twitched into a façade of a smile as she opened the door. She gestured for the man to go first, and followed him when he did. She went behind the desk, leaning over Travis’s shoulder to see when her next appointment was. Then both she and Travis looked up. The man, standing on the other side of the desk, had cleared his throat loudly. His smile had taken on a syrupy quality that instantly had her stomach rolling.

“Is – there something else we can help you with?” she asked hesitantly.

“Yeah, look, I’m glad the kittens will be okay, but I really just needed an excuse to get through the door,” he said with a shrug. “An interview with Chris Evans’s girlfriend will make my career. Have you seen the photo?”

“I – what? What are you talking about? What photo?”

The man pulled things out of his pocket – his cellphone and a dictaphone. He put the recorder on the counter and held out his cellphone. Mackenzie frowned at him, but looked at what he was clearly trying to show her. As soon as she did, she felt the blood drain from her face.

It was a photograph from the London premiere. It had to be, because if it were from any of the earlier events she would have already seen it. The cast stretched out along one of those screens, covered in promotional labels. Chris was between Robert Downey Junior and Elizabeth Olsen – and he was staring at Elizabeth’s cleavage, exposed by the cut of her dress.

“Chris, you fucking meatball,” she whispered, shaking her head. Of course he’d sneaked a glance at Elizabeth’s boobs. Of course a photographer had managed to capture that exact moment in time.

“Look,” began Mackenzie weakly, gripping the back of Travis’s chair tightly. “I don’t know who you are or what you hope to achieve from this, but you need to leave.”

“Come on,” he wheedled. “Give me _something,_ Mackenzie. Trouble in paradise already?”

Mackenzie shook her head. “No. No comment. You have to go.”

She turned around. If he wasn’t going to leave, she was. But he reached across the counter and grabbed her arm. Mackenzie stared down at his hand, wrapped around her wrist, and then back at him. She felt Travis stiffen beside her, but the teenager didn’t know how to react either.

“Let me go,” she croaked, finding her mouth dry when she went to speak. “And leave.”

He didn’t let go.

“I just want to talk to you,” he said. “There has to be something you can tell me – anything.”

“I have nothing to say to you!” retorted Mackenzie. “Stop wasting my time and get out!”

“Come on, don’t be like that,” said the man, trying to placate her. “This is your chance to get your side of the story out there. We’ve heard from Chris. We want to hear from you.”

Mackenzie scoffed, as Travis jumped out of his chair and disappeared into the back office.

“You’ll twist anything I say to make a better headline. I told you already, I’m not talking to you.”

“It’s got to hurt, knowing he’s already lining up his next option,” he continued, ignoring her. Mackenzie saw red, tears pricking at her eyes. She jerked her arm, trying to break his hold on her, but he only tightened his grip. Mackenzie winced as his fingers pressed into her, and something twinged in her wrist.

“Let go of me! Get out!” she snapped. “You have no right, coming in here and – and…”

The door to the office opened again. Mark stepped out into the foyer, with Emma right behind him. Mark took one look at Mackenzie’s pale face, and the man’s hand wrapped around her arm, and glared at the man. He folded his arms over his chest.

“Let go of her right now and leave,” Mark said coldly. “Unless you want to be here when the police arrive. Travis is calling right now.”

The man dropped Mackenzie’s arm immediately. He grabbed the dictaphone and slipped it back into his pocket, along with his cellphone. Grumbling under his breath, he rushed out of the clinic.

Mackenzie dug her teeth into her trembling lower lip. She squeezed her eyes shut, willing away the tears threatening to make an appearance. She heard Travis say something to Mark, heard Mark reply, but she couldn’t actually tell what they were saying. Then a gentle hand wrapped around her wrist. She opened her eyes, letting Emma lead her into the back office. As soon as the door shut, cutting them off from the foyer, Mackenzie’s legs began to shake. Emma pushed her down into a chair gently before she fell over.

A second chair scraped over the floor as Emma pulled it over, planting it in front of Mackenzie. She sat down, taking hold of Mackenzie’s injured wrist, and pressed an icepack to it. Mackenzie choked on a sob.

“You need to go home, Mack. Lay low for a while,” said Emma softly.

“It won’t help,” she mumbled. “They know where I live. I –”

Mackenzie cut herself off, because the next thing she was going to say was ‘I need Chris’.

“I’ll call your Mom, then.”

“No. No, you can’t,” said Mackenzie at once. “Then they’ll know where she lives too. I can’t drag her into this.”

“You are _not_ going home alone to a house where people like _that_ are waiting for you, Mackenzie,” said Emma firmly. “We won’t let you.”

“I’ll – I’ll call Lisa,” stammered Mackenzie. “She said…”

She didn’t have a chance to finish what she was going to say, as Emma pushed her cellphone in her hand.

“Call her,” she said solemnly. “And take some time off. Two weeks. We’ll cover your appointments.”

Mackenzie began to protest, but Emma cut her off.

“Mark already okayed it,” she said. “Take the two weeks, Mack. Come back to work after Chris gets home.”

Mackenzie bit her lip and nodded.

* * *

Lisa arrived at the clinic minutes after Mackenzie called her, and she brought Shanna with her. She bustled into the back room, pulling Mackenzie into a tight hug. She fretted over Mackenzie’s bruised wrist and held her as a fresh wave of tears overtook her. Then she took Mackenzie’s handbag from Mark, passed her keys to Shanna, and led her out to the parking lot. Bundling her into the car, she drove to Mackenzie’s house with Shanna driving close behind.

When they reached the house, Lisa and Shanna helped Mackenzie pack some things, enough to last her for at least a week. They herded the dogs into Lisa’s car without too much trouble, and then they were off to the Evans house. Neither of the women attempted to start a conversation as they drove. Mackenzie was thankful for it. Her emotions were still a little too close to the surface for her liking, after what had happened.

Dodger and Daisy jumped out of the car and ran straight up to the front door when they reached the house. Mackenzie’s mouth twitched into a weak smile as she followed them, shouldering her handbag. Lisa opened the front door for the dogs, and Shanna brought up the rear with Mackenzie’s other bag. When they got inside, she took Mackenzie’s handbag from her as well and went upstairs. Lisa let the dogs out into the backyard before walking into the kitchen. Mackenzie bit her lip again, and followed her.

She couldn’t believe this had happened. She’d been forced out of her home by a reporter, desperate to get a story. She’d been right to tell Emma she couldn’t go home. When they’d arrived at her house, she’d seen at least three cars that didn’t belong to people on her street. Thankfully they hadn’t been followed when they left, probably because they’d left Mackenzie’s car behind.

“Have you had lunch yet, honey?”

“Hmm?” Lisa’s voice jolted Mackenzie out of her thoughts. “Have I – yes.”

“Okay. I’ll make coffee, then. Sit down, honey.”

She turned on the machine before Mackenzie could say anything to stop her. Instead she sat on one of the island stools and leaned on the countertop. Shanna came back down and joined her, just as Lisa set three steaming cups of coffee on the countertop. Before Lisa sat down too, she went to the freezer and pulled out a bag of peas. Wrapping it in a tea towel, she passed it to Mackenzie with a meaningful nod at her wrist. Obediently, Mackenzie rested her wrist on the counter and laid the makeshift icepack on top of it. She reached for her coffee with the other hand, and took a long, slow sip.

“It’ll be okay, Mack,” said Shanna quietly. “You can stay for as long you need to. They shouldn’t bother you here.”

“Thanks,” she murmured. “I – I…”

She trailed off, biting her lip again. She didn’t want to start crying again. She’d cried enough over what had happened.

“Things’ll calm down, right?” she asked, after she managed to compose herself. “When Chris gets home?”

“It should,” replied Shanna. “It’s crazier than usual right now because you’re their shiny new toy.”

Mackenzie nodded. She adjusted the icepack on her wrist and winced. It was bruising quite vividly, but she just knew that wasn’t the only problem. Something else was wrong.

“You should go to a doctor,” said Lisa. “Have that looked at.”

“I can’t,” Mackenzie mumbled. “Can you imagine what will happen if they see me going to the doctor? _Captain America’s Girlfriend Already Knocked Up_. It’ll be hell. I don’t want Chris to know this happened. It’ll just upset him. He’s got more important things to worry about. I won’t be a distraction.”

“Mack,” murmured Shanna. “He’d want to know.”

But Mackenzie shook her head. “It’ll be fine. I’ll just ice it and rest it. Couple of days, it’ll be good as new.”

Neither Lisa nor Shanna looked convinced, but they nodded. Mackenzie’s lips twitched in a small, pained smile. Then she pushed her coffee away – the cup was still almost full – and stood up suddenly

“I – I should call my Mom. Um. Just give me a shout if you need me?”

“Of course, Mack,” said Lisa.

She and Shanna nodded. Mackenzie sent a watery smile at them before she went upstairs, straight to Chris’s old bedroom. Shutting the door behind her, she leaned back against it. Closing her eyes, she exhaled slowly. She was _not_ going to cry again. It took a few minutes for her to shove back the emotions. Then she sat down and pulled out her cellphone. Chewing on her lower lip, it took another few minutes before she dialed her mother’s number.

“ _Kenzie! How are you? Aren’t you at work?”_

“No, Mom,” she said thickly. “I – do you have a minute?”

“ _Of course, sweetheart!_ ”

“I’m – I’m actually at Lisa’s.”

“ _What? Why?”_

Her mother was understandably outraged when Mackenzie told her what had happened at the clinic. Jocelyn wanted her daughter to come stay with her, but Mackenzie shot down that idea immediately. She couldn’t. There was no way she was going to expose her mother to the same vultures, relentlessly hunting their next story.

“Mom, no, I can’t. I’m not dragging you into this. Things will calm down when Chris gets back.”

Her mother was silent for a moment. “ _And if they don’t?_ ”

Mackenzie winced. “Well, at least I’ll have Chris around to help me deal with it. Honestly, Mom, I’m – okay, I’m not okay right now, but I will be. And Lisa – their family has dealt with this kind of thing for years. This is the best place for me to be right now. I’m sorry.”

 _“Oh, no, sweetheart, you don’t have to be sorry for anything. Maybe we can come over for dinner one night_.”

“Yeah,” murmured Mackenzie. “That would be nice.”

“ _I’ll call Lisa later to work something out. I love you, Kenzie._ ”

“Love you too, Mom. Bye.”

“ _Bye, Kenzie.”_

Her mother hung up, and Mackenzie dropped her cellphone onto the quilt. She clenched her hands, digging her fingernails into her palms. She was in Chris’s old bedroom, with his mother and sister downstairs, and she’d just got off the phone with her own mother – yet she still felt incredibly alone. With a groan, Mackenzie flopped back on the bed. She huffed, blowing strands of hair out of her eyes. The feeling would go away.

All of this drama would go away.

* * *

Chris snorted, shaking his head as he watched Mackie charm the pants off the girl behind the check-in desk. The poor thing was blushing furiously as she typed something into the computer and labeled Mackie’s suitcase. She handed him his boarding pass and somehow didn’t pass out when Mackie thanked her with what Chris had come to call his “Flynn Rider smoulder”. Mackie turned away, winking at Chris as he passed him to join the rest of the group. Chris shook his head again, and stepped forward so that he could also check in.

He smiled reassuringly at the British Airways employee as he handed over his passport. She was still blushing as she checked him in, and Chris resolved to give Mackie hell about it later. She fumbled with his passport, almost dropping it, and looked absolutely mortified.

“Hey, relax,” said Chris cheerfully. “We’re just people.”

She laughed bashfully and smiled back at him.

“Yes, I suppose you are,” she admitted, in a clipped British accent. “I can’t wait to see the movie, Mister Evans. Enjoy your flight. And…” She hesitated, and Chris tilted his head curiously. “I hope your girlfriend’s okay. I totally ship the two of you. She obviously makes you happy.”

Her blush was back at full force. Chris thanked her, accepted his boarding pass from her, and shouldered his backpack. He smiled at her one last time before he strolled back to join the rest of the group, but his mind was racing. What had she been talking about? As far as he knew, Mackenzie was fine.

He began fiddling with the brim of his baseball cap, and dug his cellphone out of his pocket. It only took a couple of seconds for him to find what the girl had to have been talking about. It was another article on a gossip website. At first glance it looked harmless, opening with a picture of Mackenzie cuddling a tiny, grey ball of fluff that was apparently a kitten.

But the more Chris read, the more agitated he became. The person responsible for the picture and the article had actually gone into the clinic while Mackenzie was working. He'd confronted her with that godforsaken picture of him looking at Elizabeth’s cleavage and yet he had the balls to complain that Mackenzie had been rude and standoffish. They wrapped it all up in a neat, disgusting package, with speculation that the photograph, and Mackenzie’s reaction to it, meant that the honeymoon period had ended and their relationship was not going to survive the long distance.

“Chris?”

“Hmm?” hummed Chris, looking over at Mackie. He and Sebastian were both staring at him curiously. “Yeah?”

“You good?”

“Yeah, yeah,” said Chris overenthusiastically. “Are you heading to the Gate?”

“Yeah. I mean, slowly, you know,” replied Sebastian. He still looked concerned. “We’ll get there eventually.”

“Cool, um. I’ll meet you there? Gotta make a phone call.”

Mackie looked like he was going to protest, but Sebastian spoke before he had the chance.

“Sure,” he said with a shrug. “See you there.”

Chris hoped his eyes conveyed how appreciative he was to Sebastian, before he slid his sunglasses into place. Then he tugged his baseball cap a little further down his face, and ducked away from the group. It took longer than Chris would have liked to find somewhere private and secluded enough that he felt comfortable pulling out his cellphone, but he eventually did. He leaned against a wall, his leg twitching impatiently, as he waited for Mackenzie to pick up. After what felt like forever, the dial tone cut off.

“ _… ‘lo?_ ”

Chris did some quick math and winced.

“Fuck, baby, I’m sorry, I didn’t realise what time it was over there. I’ll call back when we get to LA, I’m so sorry.”

“ _No, it’s fine – I’m awake now. What’s up?_ ” mumbled Mackenzie.

“Are you sure, Mack? It’s gotta be, what, three in the morning over there.”

“ _3:37, actually_ ,” she said, yawning loudly. “ _Seriously, Chris, it’s fine._ ”

“Okay, if you’re sure. Um. Is everything okay, in Boston? Are you okay?”

“ _Yeah? Why wouldn’t I be?”_

“Because I just read about how some asshole came into the clinic.”

“ _Oh. I didn’t realise he wrote about it. I’ve been avoiding the Internet completely since – that stuff saying you were only with me for the sex._ ”

“You know that’s not even close to the truth, right? I mean, the sex is great, but I love everything about you, Mackenzie.”

“ _I know_ ,” she replied, and he could hear her tired smile. _“I love you too_.”

“You’re really okay?”

“ _I’m okay, Chris. Whatever he wrote, I’m sure he exaggerated it. He just came in looking for a story and we didn’t give him one. Mark threatened to call the police and he left.”_

“There’s a photo of you holding a kitten.”

“ _Huh. Didn’t see him take a photo. Yeah, um, that was how he got in? He brought in a box of abandoned kittens._ ”

“But you’re okay.”

He heard Mackenzie sigh.

“ _Chris, sweetheart, I am_ fine. _Haven’t had any other problems._ ”

“Okay. Okay,” he said, tugging his cap off and scratching the back of his head. “I just – got worried.”

“ _I know_.” She sounded amused.

“I’ll let you go back to sleep,” said Chris. “Sorry, again.”

“ _Don’t be, it’s fine. And you can call again later anyway, if you want,_ ” she added. “ _Especially if you’re calling from the same continent._ ”

Chris chuckled. “I might. We’re on the homestretch now, babe.”

“ _I’d cheer, but I don’t want to wake up your – the dogs. I love you._ ”

“I love you too. Bye, Mack.”

“ _Bye, Chris_.”

She hung up first. Chris slid his cellphone back into his pocket, but didn’t leave the corridor he was in. He grimaced. Something about Mackenzie’s nonchalance didn’t sit right with him. He knew he’d woken her up, that she’d still been half-asleep despite what she said, but he also knew _her_. He knew her voice. He knew her tells. She hadn’t lied to him, but she hadn’t been completely truthful with him either. He’d noticed her slip up. It definitely wasn’t the dogs she’d been worried about waking.

Chris sighed, and shoved the majority of his concern to the back of his mind. It was an eleven-hour flight between London and Los Angeles. He couldn’t afford to fixate on this right now, especially not when it meant he might work himself into a panic. He’d done well so far, coping with the press tour, but he still had a week left before he’d be back in Boston. Even if Mackenzie told him the truth, whatever it was, there was nothing he could do about it.

Tugging his cap back into position, Chris mentally prepared himself before he stepped back out into the throngs of people also negotiating Heathrow Airport. He made it to the Gate without being recognised, and went directly towards his traveling companions. He dropped his backpack almost on top of Sebastian’s feet, flopped down into the chair next to him, and groaned.

“Hey. Is everything okay?”

“Oh, yeah, I just…” Chris waved his hand aimlessly. “The girl at the check-in desk said something that bugged me. I needed to call Mackenzie and make sure she was okay.”

“She’s alright?”

“Yeah. Some jackass reporter confronted her at work, but Mack said she’s fine. I can’t help worrying, though.”

Sebastian nodded, his expression soft and understanding. Then he grinned at Chris, and clapped him on the back.

“We’re almost home. It’ll be a lot easier to talk to her when you’re both in the same country.”

“Yeah, that’s what I’m counting on,” murmured Chris. Then he chuckled. “Mack actually said something similar.”

If Sebastian had any follow-up planned, he didn’t get a chance to voice it when two women approached them cautiously. Sebastian stood up, directing his bright smile towards them, and they both instantly blushed. One of them managed to stutter out a request for a photo, and looked at Chris hopefully as well. Grinning, he stood and went with the flow as Sebastian directed him about. The women left after snapping a selfie, barely containing their glee, and the men sank back into the uncomfortable plastic chairs at once.

“The fans have been the best part of this whole thing,” said Sebastian quietly. “I can’t believe how awesome they’ve been.”

“Yeah. The turnout has been amazing.”

“Still,” Sebastian continued. “I can’t wait to get home and sleep in my own bed, finally.”

Chris couldn’t agree more.

* * *

Mackenzie rushed into the house, dropping Daisy’s leash as soon as they were inside. Lisa popped her head out into the hallway just in time to watch Mackenzie disappear upstairs, and see Shanna come in through the front door with Dodger. Shanna unbuckled him and called Daisy over, so that she could do the same for her. She looked at Lisa uneasily.

“Someone came up to us on the street, asking questions. Shouting, really. They weren’t very polite.”

There was a muffled thud from upstairs; Lisa and Shanna winced. Lisa tossed the tea towel she was holding in the direction of the sink.

“Keep an eye on the oven?” she asked, and Shanna nodded.

Her eldest son’s bedroom door was closed when she reached it, but it wasn’t locked. Even if it were, it wouldn’t have mattered. Lisa had the key. She knocked on it gently before twisting the knob and opening it a fraction. Mackenzie was sitting on the edge of the bed, fingers gripping the sheets beneath her tightly. Her jaw was clenched. She was chewing on her bottom lip. She was very tense, and very pale.

Lisa stepped into the room. Shutting the door behind her, she sat down next to Mackenzie. She rested a hand on top of Mackenzie’s, squeezing gently, and was relieved when Mackenzie’s hand shifted and flipped to curl around Lisa’s. Her grip was almost painful, but Lisa ignored it. She was more worried about the way Mackenzie was breathing – quickly, increasingly raggedly. She’d heard it before, whenever Chris got particularly overwhelmed.

“Mackenzie, honey, listen to me for a minute. If you don’t slow your breathing down, you’re going to hyperventilate.” She squeezed Mackenzie’s hand again. “In through your nose, _slowly_. Out through your mouth.”

It took a few minutes, and some trial and error, but eventually Mackenzie was breathing steadily again, if not shakily. She made no move to let go of Lisa’s hand. Instead she squeezed tightly. Twisting around awkwardly, Mackenzie leaned into Lisa’s shoulder.

“Do you want to talk about it?” asked Lisa quietly.

Mackenzie swallowed a choked sob.

“I just – I don’t get it,” she said. Her voice was thick with the tears she refused to let go of. “I thought that – that after what Chris said on _Ellen_ , they’d leave me alone.”

Lisa grimaced sympathetically. She knew what Mackenzie was talking about. After the now infamous picture from the London premiere, rumours had started flying about Chris and Elizabeth potentially dating. When they appeared together on _Ellen_ , they’d both shot down those rumours. Chris had been very vocal about the status of his and Mackenzie’s relationship, reiterating that they were still together, very committed to one another despite the month of separation. He’d made it clear he wanted the reporters to back off.

Apparently, it hadn’t worked.

“What happened, honey?”

“We were walking the dogs,” said Mackenzie thickly. “And everything was fine. Then a guy just popped up out of nowhere. He got in the way. He started asking all these questions. We told him no, no comment, leave us alone, but he wouldn’t, so we turned around to come back. He followed us. He walked after us, shouting questions at us, until someone else stopped him. I thought – I thought it was okay after that, but the last thing he said…”

Mackenzie stopped talking and swallowed. Her breath hitched, and she let go of Lisa’s hand to wipe at her eyes.

“He asked – aren’t you worried the equipment won’t work properly when he gets back?” she choked out. “He was talking about that fucking game, the Frozen Blackjack thing. How – disgusting do you have to be, to shout that at someone walking down the street?”

Lisa wrapped her arm around Mackenzie, rubbing her back gently. She didn’t have an answer, or at least not one that would make Mackenzie feel better. She said as much. Reaching into Chris’s bedside table, she pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to Mackenzie. With a watery snuffle, Mackenzie wiped at her damp cheeks again.

“You should talk to Chris.”

Mackenzie shook her head. “There’s no point. Not now.”

“There’s a lot of point, honey! He gets it. He knows what this is like. At the very least, talking about it will make you feel better.”

“I _am_ , I’ve _been_ talking to him about,” she protested.

“You’re telling him that things are fine, Mackenzie, and they’re not. Your wrist is still hurt!”

Mackenzie stiffened and looked down at her hands. When the swelling on her wrist hadn’t gone down after two days, Lisa, Carly and Shanna had ganged up on her and bullied her into going to the doctor. She’d gone grudgingly, hadn’t been seen by anyone with a camera, and returned with her wrist in a splint and a diagnosis of a mild sprain. A week later, the bruising was just beginning to fade and Mackenzie was looking forward to getting rid of the splint. She didn’t want to still be wearing it when Chris returned.

She stopped fiddling with the handkerchief, scrunching it into a ball.

“I said I could handle it.”

“You said you’d deal with it together,” replied Lisa. “Why aren’t you telling him what’s really been happening? He could help!”

“How?” she snapped tearfully. “He’s not here! And even if he was, he can’t stop them from saying whatever they want. He can’t stop them from approaching me on the street!”

“If you’d told him about that man hurting you, his team would have been on it in a heartbeat, finding his name and filing a restraining order,” Lisa countered. “It would have warned all of them that he’s serious about you, your protection, your privacy – all of it, Mackenzie.”

Standing up, Mackenzie shook her head again. She crossed the room, digging a sweatshirt out of her bag that Lisa recognised as one of Chris’s. She pulled it over her head, rubbed at her eyes again, and tossed the handkerchief into the hamper. When she looked at Lisa again, her face was lined with stubbornness masked as determination.

“Two days. He gets back in two days, and then – maybe things won’t go back to normal but they’ll be closer. I can manage another two days, Lisa. Please, I just – I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”

Lisa’s face took on an expression that Mackenzie was extremely familiar with. It was the same one Chris wore whenever he disagreed with something she was saying or doing, but somehow found the self-control to not say anything about it. After what felt like forever, Lisa grimaced and nodded.

“Thank you,” Mackenzie murmured. She fiddled with the end of her braid and gestured towards the door. Lisa stood up, a slightly forced smile on her face, and walked down the stairs with Mackenzie.

“Do you need any help with dinner?” asked Mackenzie quietly.

“I never say no to help.”

* * *

Chris’s flight landed in Boston a few minutes ahead of schedule. After grabbing his suitcase from baggage claim, he hailed a taxi to take him to his apartment. It was a short drive, and he thanked the driver with a generous tip. Then, dragging his suitcase into the building, he dug his cellphone out of his pocket. He didn’t get a decent signal in the elevator, but as soon as he was inside his apartment Chris dialed Mackenzie’s number. He left his suitcase in his living room and searched for his car keys, cellphone pressed against his ear.

“ _Hi, you’ve reached Mackenzie Higgins. Leave a message and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can_.”

Chris frowned. It wasn’t like Mackenzie to not answer the phone. She knew he was returning today. He shrugged and grabbed his keys. Somehow they’d ended up in his fridge. Maybe she just hadn’t heard her phone.

He didn’t bother leaving a message. Instead, he jumped into his car and drove straight to Mackenzie’s house. With all of the traveling he’d done the last month, another half hour was nothing. Pulling up outside Mackenzie’s house, he stayed in the car for a moment. Her car was in the drive, but something was off. All the curtains were drawn, and both front doors were shut.

Chris let himself in with his key. It soon became clear that Mackenzie wasn’t there, and neither were the dogs. The house even smelt a little musty, like no one had been there in days, but Chris brushed that suspicion away. He tried to call her again, but again she didn’t answer. He didn’t understand. Getting back in the car, he drove to his mother’s house.

He walked through the unlocked front door and went straight for the kitchen, calling out as he did so.

“Ma, have you talked to Mackenzie lately? I don’t know where she is. She’s not answering her cellphone, her house is empty, and –”

Chris stopped talking abruptly, coming to a halt just inside the kitchen entry. Mackenzie was sitting with his mother at the kitchen island, a coffee cup in her hand. He stared at her. She stared back.

“Oh my God, you’re here. You’re – oh my God!”

She jumped off her stool and rushed towards him, leaping into his arms. Chris caught her instinctively. Her legs wrapped around his waist, and then she was kissing him soundly. She tasted exactly like he remembered, along with a hint of coffee. Her hands framed his face, leaving her in complete control of the kiss as he concentrated on holding her up.

Eventually Mackenzie broke away for air but her hands stayed on his face. Her thumbs smoothed across his cheeks, along the edge of his beard. Leaning in, she pressed her forehead to his and beamed.

“I can’t believe you’re actually here. You said – I swear you said your flight was later!”

“It was,” replied Chris. “I swapped to an earlier one. Couldn’t wait.”

Mackenzie went to kiss him again, but before their lips could touch they heard someone clear their throat. They both looked at Lisa, who was watching with an amused grin.

“As adorable as this is, I’m sure you two would rather catch up in private,” she suggested.

Mackenzie unwrapped her legs from Chris and slithered down so that her feet were touching the floor again. She nodded in agreement, looking a little flustered when she turned back to Chris.

“Did you want to stay for a while, or –”

But Lisa interrupted her. “No, no. I’m not going anywhere. Leave. You have a lot to discuss.”

“Okay,” Mackenzie mumbled. “Just let me get my stuff. Could you get the dogs ready?”

Chris nodded automatically, and watched Mackenzie disappear upstairs as her request sank in properly. He looked at his mother again, frowning, but she just jerked her head after Mackenzie. Still frowning, he took the stairs two at a time. His old bedroom door was open, and he stopped in the doorway. Mackenzie was moving around the room, throwing things into a bag.

Chris cleared his throat. She jumped, dropping the shirt she was holding into the bag, and spun around.

“Hey,” she said, also frowning. “Did you get the dogs in the car already? That was quick.”

“No – have you been staying here?” he asked incredulously, taking in just how lived-in his old room looked. “Is that why you’ve been so weird on the phone, the last couple of days? You’ve been staying here and you didn’t want to tell me?”

Mackenzie bit her lip and shrugged. “No? I mean, yes, I’ve been staying here, but Chris –”

“But nothing. Why wouldn’t you tell me that?”

“It was nothing, I didn’t want to worry you.”

“Oh, come on, Mack!” he retorted. “That’s crap and you know it.”

“No, it’s true!” she insisted. “You were busy with the tour. You didn’t need to be worrying about me too. I was fine.”

She grabbed one last shirt, shoved it into the bag, and zipped it up. She picked up the bag and immediately twisted her head away from Chris. But she wasn’t quick enough to hide her pained grimace from him. He crossed the room in three long strides and took the bag from her, tossing it out the door and into the hall. He held her wrist and peeled back the sleeve of her sweater. He just about felt his heart stop when he saw the splint and the bruising. He moved his fingers over her wrist, doing his best to keep his touch as light as possible, barely there, but she still winced.

“What the fuck, Mackenzie?” said Chris. Several emotions began bubbling up inside him at once; the most prevalent were anger and concern. “Are you going to tell me this was nothing, too?”

“I – no?” she said weakly. “But it’s not a big deal.”

“When did this happen? _How_ did this happen?”

“When the guy came into the clinic. He grabbed me by the wrist and I tried to pull away from him,” she admitted quietly. “It’s just a sprain.”

“Just a –!”

Chris dropped her wrist and walked away from her. His entire body was tense as he paced across his bedroom, trying to gather his thoughts. He wiped a hand across his face in agitation. Turning to face Mackenzie again, he folded his arms over his chest.

“That was a week ago,” he said flatly. “More than a week ago.”

“I know,” she replied, her voice barely more than a whisper.

“Fuck, Mackenzie. Why didn’t you say anything? That guy should be arrested. He assaulted you!” shouted Chris, and he paused. “What else haven’t you told me about?”

Mackenzie stared back at him, teeth digging into her lower lip – and as Chris watched, her face crumpled. He was back in front of her in an instant, pulling her into his arms as tears overtook her. He felt her face press against his chest; his shirt soon grew damp. She clung to him, shaking as she cried, and Chris suddenly felt like the worst person in the world. He rested a hand on the back of her head, pressed his lips to her hair.

“I’m sorry, Mack, I’m so sorry,” he murmured hurriedly, desperately. “Please don’t cry, baby, I’m sorry.”

“I’m s-sorry,” she forced out between sobs. “I’m sorry, I just – you weren’t here and I didn’t want to worry you.”

Chris winced at how broken her voice sounded. With his arms still around her, he shuffled them sideways towards the bed. He sat down and pulled her into his lap. Tears ran down Mackenzie’s blotchy cheeks, and her breath hitched as Chris tilted her chin up to look at him.

“Mackenzie, baby,” he said softly. “I’m so sorry if I made you think you couldn’t tell me things. We’re in this together, babe.”

Mackenzie tried to smile, but her lip quivered too much for it to be effective as a few fresh tears slid down her cheeks. Chris reached up and wiped them away gently with his thumb.

“I know,” she mumbled. “I just know how stressful the press tours are for you and I didn’t want to add to that. I couldn’t, Chris.”

“I love you,” replied Chris. “I have missed you so fucking much this last month. But I need to know what happened while I was gone, baby.”

Mackenzie hesitated, and then nodded. She hid her face in Chris’s neck. When she spoke, he felt the vibrations against his skin.

“Can – can we talk about it at home, please?”

“Of course, Mack.”

She withdrew from his neck, and he brushed his lips against hers before he let her leave his lap. She stood in front of him, waiting for him to stand, and when he did he reached for her hand. Mackenzie’s fingers curled around his tightly, and they walked downstairs hand in hand.

Lisa was still in the kitchen when they came in and stood as soon as she saw them. She walked out to the car with them, and while Chris stowed Mackenzie’s bag in the trunk, pulled Mackenzie into a hug. Chris watched silently, a tiny smile tugging on his lips, as his mother whispered something in his girlfriend’s ear. He opened the passenger door for Mackenzie when the hug finished, and laughed as his mother beckoned him in for a hug of his own. He relaxed into it with a sigh. His mother’s hugs were always comforting.

“Don’t worry about the dogs,” she told him as they pulled apart. “You two need to talk without any distractions. You can pick them up tomorrow.”

Chris nodded, knowing better than to argue with his mother.

“Thanks for letting her stay here, Ma,” he murmured. Lisa laughed, and shook her head.

“She can stay anytime. She keeps your room much cleaner than you ever did,” she teased. Chris smiled sheepishly. Then Lisa added seriously, “You’re a perfect match. She’s as stubborn as you are.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Good.” She patted his cheek. “I’m so proud of you, honey.”

Chris flushed. “Ma –”

“No, I am,” interrupted Lisa. “You’re doing all these successful movies, you’ve got yourself an amazing girlfriend, and you’re _happy_. I’m proud of you. Now go. Talk. Catch up. I’ll see you both tomorrow for lunch.”

Impulsively, Chris pulled his mother into a second, bone-crushing hug. Then, without another word, he ran around to the other side of the car and jumped into the driver’s seat. Mackenzie looked at him, confused.

“What about the dogs?”

“We can get them tomorrow, when we come over for lunch,” he told her. “Ma’s fine with having them an extra night.”

“Oh. Okay.”

The twenty-minute drive was quiet. The radio hummed in the background and neither of them spoke. Chris reached a hand across the centre console, resting it on Mackenzie’s knee. She smiled at him, but it was thin and wobbly. He squeezed her knee in response. He pulled into the drive behind Mackenzie’s car. Grabbing her bag from the trunk, he carried it inside and headed into the living room. She trailed behind him cautiously.

“So,” began Mackenzie. “I guess we’re going to… talk?”

Chris sat down on the couch and nodded. He beckoned for her to join him, and before she could sit down beside him he pulled her onto his lap again. Mackenzie squeaked in surprise, but let Chris arrange them on the couch. He tucked her into his arms and, after a deep breath that made her entire body shake, felt Mackenzie relax against him.

“I missed you,” he said quietly. “I missed this.”

“I missed you too,” she replied, shifting slightly so that she could rest her head on his shoulder comfortably.

“Mack,” began Chris gently. “I need to know what happened.”

She stiffened in his arms, but Chris pressed his lips against her forehead and slowly felt her relax again. She took a deep breath, and began to speak.

The more that she told him, the more Chris regretted shouting at her earlier. It hadn’t been easy for him to be away from her so soon after they’d started their relationship. He’d been hurt to discover that she’d kept things from him, and he hadn’t stopped to think about how she’d felt the month he’d been gone. As much as he didn’t like his fame, he was used to dealing with it. Mackenzie wasn’t. She’d been thrown into the deep end without him there to help her, barely managing to stay afloat.

“And I know we agreed to – to deal with things together. I know,” she finished up. “I was stupid and stubborn and I didn’t want to give you more to worry about because I know how stressful you find the press tours. I didn’t want to add to it, I didn’t want you thinking it was your fault. I’m sorry. It was never about keeping things from you, I swear, Chris.”

“I know, baby, I know,” said Chris reassuringly. He tightened his arms around her. “I’m so sorry.”

Mackenzie sniffled and wiped at her eyes. Somewhere in the middle of talking, she’d started crying again. Chris wasn’t completely unaffected himself.

“You know,” he murmured, when her tears had dried up. “This wasn’t exactly the kind of homecoming I imagined.”

Mackenzie stiffened, sat up, and twisted so that she was facing him. Her eyes narrowed and her brow furrowed.

“Are you seriously thinking with your dick right now?” she asked.

“No! No, Mack, jeez!” protested Chris. He quailed under her accusatory glare. “Okay, maybe I thought there’d be more shouting, and kissing, and barking dogs, and that maybe welcome-home sex wasn’t completely off the table –”

Mackenzie shut him up by kissing him.

At first Chris was startled, but he recovered quickly. He brought a hand to the back of Mackenzie’s head and tangled his fingers in her loose hair, leaning into the kiss. He parted his lips, tongue darting out to trace along the seam of her lips, and she reciprocated a second later.

Despite the abruptness with which the kiss had started, it was achingly tender and slow. Neither of them was in a rush; it wasn’t leading to anything. Chris felt like he was re-learning the steps to an old dance, one that he hadn’t practiced for weeks, and in a way he was. He had no idea how he’d managed to last the month without it.

It ended slowly as well. Mackenzie leaned backwards until their lips were no longer touching, but that was as far as she moved. Chris tried to memorise every fleck of green in her hazel eyes as she stared into his. Untangling his fingers from her hair, he brushed a loose strand behind her ear. She smiled at him shyly and returned the favour – almost.

“I’m loving this haircut,” she said quietly, ruffling his hair. Chris grinned.

“It’s low maintenance. Something in my life needs to be,” he quipped, groaning when she smacked him in the stomach.

“I love you,” said Mackenzie seriously.

“I love you too,” he replied.

Smiling again, Mackenzie rolled off him and stood gracefully. She held out her hand and Chris took it, using it as leverage to stand up as well. Not letting go of his hand, Mackenzie used it to pull him into another hug. Chris didn’t mind. He was content just to stand there holding her.

“Was this our first fight?” she asked suddenly.

“I’m not sure it was actually a fight,” he said. “It could be our first almost-fight. Is that a thing?”

“Whatever it was, I’m glad it’s over,” she said into his shirt.

“Me too,” agreed Chris. “Want to know what happens next?”

“Lunch?” Mackenzie said hopefully, as her stomach growled.

“Yeah, lunch,” Chris said, laughing. He stepped around Mackenzie, leaving one arm draped around her shoulders, and led her towards the kitchen. “And after, we’re going to plan out the next four days. Also, a fruit basket or something for Mark and Emma. Gotta thank them for giving you time off.”

Mackenzie’s giggle was the best sound Chris had heard in a month.

* * *

The next morning, Chris was startled awake by something jabbing him in the side. He yelped quietly and sat up, looking around as his eyes adjusted to the early morning light. He discovered the culprit easily enough, coming face to face with Dodger. At some point during the night the dog had joined them in the bed, wriggling his way between them. Now he stared up at Chris with wide, innocent eyes. A further look around showed Chris that Daisy had also joined them, curled up at Mackenzie’s feet. Mackenzie was still asleep with her back to him, fingers curled around the edge of her pillow. Chris rubbed at his eyes.

“I’m gone for a month and the two of you take over,” he muttered. “Do _not_ get used to this.”

Daisy didn’t move, but Dodger had the audacity to grin at Chris. Chris snorted, rolling his eyes. Then he looked at Mackenzie. She mumbled quietly in her sleep, and her fingers twitched. Then she rolled over. Chris couldn’t help smiling. With her hair fanning out over the pillow, and a crease in her cheek from the pillowcase, she was absolutely beautiful.

Chris bit his lip as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. He glanced back at Mackenzie, and reached for his cellphone. He opened the camera, shuffled along the bed until he found the perfect angle, and snapped a picture. Mackenzie stirred at the noise, but didn’t wake up. Grinning, Chris swapped over to Twitter and began typing.

An hour later, Mackenzie woke up to the sound of her cellphone. She groaned, rolled over, and flipped it onto silent. Burying her face in her pillow, she reached over to the other side of the bed. She stiffened when her hand fell on fur instead of skin, and looked up. Chris was sitting up, leaning back against the headboard and shaking with suppressed laughter. Mackenzie glared at him sleepily, pushing herself upright, and then looked down at the dogs in amusement.

“Good morning, all of you,” she said, ruffling Dodger’s head and poking Daisy with her foot. She grinned over at Chris. “I guess we need to start shutting the door now.”

He nodded, leaning over and kissing her.

“ _Some_ one spoiled them while I was gone,” he remarked. Mackenzie waved her hand at him as she got out of bed.

“Nonsense,” she retorted airily, picking up her cellphone. “I – what?”

She frowned down at the device, and Chris tilted his head curiously. Her frown deepened the longer she stared at it, and then Mackenzie turned her frown in his direction.

“What did you do?”

He blinked back at her innocently. “What?”

“Why do I have messages from almost _everyone_ I know, telling me that you’re too sweet, we’re too adorable for words, I’m so lucky to have you?”

Chris shrugged, grinning at her smugly. “Maybe because I am, we are, and you _definitely_ are?”

“Asshole,” she muttered. Her fingers moved across the screen. Then her eyes widened, and Chris knew she’d seen it. “Oh my God.”

He’d posted the photo he’d taken earlier on Twitter. The last time he checked, it had more than a thousand Likes and re-Tweets. It was a really pretty picture, if he did say so himself. The majority of it was Mackenzie, sprawled out in bed with the dogs curled up around her. The early morning sun coming in through the window cast the entire image in soft shades of pink, orange and grey. Chris had included a sliver of his face; hers was partially obscured by the blankets. The caption, however, was a work of art.

“I don’t usually do this, but I couldn’t resist,” Mackenzie read out loud, voice on the edge of cracking. “The press tour was great, but I’m incredibly happy to wake up with – with the love of my life again.”

Chris smiled sheepishly when she looked at him again, and shrugged. “Well, it’s true.”

“Chris,” she whispered.

The smile slid off his face when he saw tears in her eyes, and he jumped out of bed. Crossing the room, he pulled her into his arms.

“Hey, hey,” he murmured. “Don’t cry, babe. I love you.”

“I love you, too,” she said thickly. “These are happy tears, I swear.”

“Good,” said Chris, instantly relieved. “You had me worried for a minute there, Macaroni.”

She groaned and poked him in the ribs. “Is that ever going away?”

“Nope,” he replied brightly. “Not since you told Scott, and I quote, ‘only Chris is allowed to call me that’.”

“Damn it,” she muttered. “I was hoping he didn’t hear that.”

“He did. I always knew you loved me calling you Macaroni,” he crowed, arms tightening around her. Mackenzie sighed wearily.

“Okay, yeah, maybe just a little bit,” she admitted.

“Yes!” Chris whooped, moving one arm from around her to punch the air. “Yes, I knew it!”

“It made me feel special. It still does,” she said quietly.

“You _are_ special, Macaroni,” replied Chris, sobering. “Love of my life.”

Blushing, she cupped his cheek and stretched up to kiss him.

“Right back at you, dork.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that's chapter 3. All that's left now is the epilogue :3


	4. Epilogue

“That’s the last of it,” said Chris, setting down the large cardboard box he was carrying on the kitchen table. He walked over to Mackenzie and pulled her into a brief kiss. She grinned at him.

“Who knew you could fit so much stuff into one tiny apartment?”

“It wasn’t _that_ tiny,” he argued.

“If you say so,” Mackenzie sang. She went to walk away, heading to the kitchen counter completely covered by boxes. But Chris caught her by the wrist, spinning her back into his arms, and she giggled when he dipped her into another kiss. His fingers slid under the hem of her shirt and he traced patterns over her exposed skin. Straightening up, he nuzzled along her neck.

“Just you wait,” whispered Chris. Mackenzie shivered as his breath tickled her ear. “And I’ll show you something else that isn’t tiny.”

“Oh, really?” she murmured back, slipping her hands into the back pockets of his jeans. “Is it in one of these boxes?”

“No, but all my underwear is.”

It took a moment for Mackenzie to understand what Chris meant by that, as he nibbled along the shell of her ear. Her breath hitched, and she squeezed his ass through his faded jeans. The material felt thinner than it usually did, confirming her suspicions, and she smirked at the groan Chris let out.

A loud retching noise had them jumping apart and turning around. Mackenzie blushed bright red and tugged her shirt back down when she saw their brothers in the kitchen. Chris huffed in annoyance. He glared at Scott and Nick, but neither looked bothered by it as they dumped two more cardboard boxes on the kitchen table. However, Nick did look a little more uncomfortable than Scott did, seeing his sister in that kind of situation.

“ _That_ is actually the last of it,” said Scott. “And please, for the love of all things sibling, keep it in your pants until we’re done? We said we’d help for dinner, not a floor show.”

“You’re horrible. Literally disgusting,” retorted Chris. “Coming into our house and saying something like that. We’re not going to fuck in front of you. Gross.”

“Language, Christopher!”

Grimacing, he scratched at the back of his head. He looked over at his mother apologetically as she and Jocelyn joined them in the kitchen.

“Sorry, Ma?”

She stared back at him, unimpressed.

“That’s no way to talk to your brother,” she replied. “Apologise.”

“But he – didn’t you hear him?” Chris spluttered, while Scott smirked at him over their mother’s shoulder. She stared him down and Chris huffed again. “Fine. Sorry, Scott.”

“Yes, that sounded very believable,” muttered Lisa, but it was obvious she was trying not to laugh.

Mackenzie was doing the same. She had always found it hilarious how quickly Chris turned into a contrite puppy as soon as his mother so much as frowned in his direction. She squeezed his hand to get his attention and smiled at him fondly when he looked at her. Chris smiled back. Stretching up on tiptoe, she kissed him softly.

They’d skirted around the idea of moving in together for nearly a month until Chris finally brought it up for discussion. While they’d only been officially dating for three months, they both felt it was actually something seven years overdue. Mackenzie had said yes almost instantly, only to be left speechless when Chris said he wanted to sell his apartment and move into her house. His reasons made sense. She had the space, a backyard for the dogs, and it was closer to both their families. She just hadn’t expected it.

Now, just a couple of days after Chris got back from Wizard World Philly, they were going ahead with it. They’d roped Scott and Nick into helping with the promise of a free dinner at some point. Their mothers had needed no incentive, but gladly accepted the offer anyway.

Part of her still couldn’t believe this was actually happening. She’d imagined it, dreamed about it occasionally before she and Chris became a couple, but now it was becoming reality. They were going to be living together. She could probably count on one hand the number of times Chris had actually spent the night at his own apartment after returning from the press tour. Nothing was really going to change, but it didn’t matter. His moving in still felt like an enormously significant moment in their relationship.

Mackenzie blinked when someone cleared their throat. Her blush returned as she looked around the kitchen. She’d somehow managed to lose herself in Chris’s eyes again, despite their audience. Nick looked a little green. Scott was rolling his eyes. Both Lisa and Jocelyn were watching the pair knowingly.

“That’s all of the boxes. You brought all the furniture in?”

Jocelyn directed her question towards Nick and Scott. When they both nodded she looked back at her daughter.

“We’ll head off, then,” she said lightly. “Leave you two to unpack. We can work out dinner details later.”

Chris and Mackenzie didn’t argue, and after several hugs and handshakes they were waving goodbye from the front porch of the house. _Their house._ Mackenzie couldn’t stop herself from beaming as the last of their relatives’ cars disappeared around the corner. Chris noticed as they went back inside the house. It felt a little claustrophobic with all of his boxes scattered about, but that would be fixed soon enough.

“You’re grinning like the Cheshire cat,” he commented. “Why?”

“Why do you think?” she shot back, still beaming. “You know, you called it _our_ house when you were talking to Scott.”

“I guess I did,” said Chris, with a grin of his own. “I kinda liked it.”

“Me too.”

Chris reached out, snagging Mackenzie around the waist and pulling her into his arms. In return, she curled her arms around his neck. He didn’t make a move to kiss her. Instead his smile slid away, and he stared into her eyes seriously. She mirrored his expression as she waited for him to speak.

“Hey,” he said quietly. “You happy?”

“Yeah,” she replied, just as quietly. “I’m really happy.”

Chris closed the distance between them, kissing her softly. When they parted, he smiled at her crookedly.

“Good. So am I.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's all! :3

**Author's Note:**

> Annnnndddddd there you have it. Chapter One. I should have Chapter Two up soon, a day or two at the most. :3
> 
> I've taken some liberties surrounding the adoption of Dodger. After seeing the pictures and videos, I just had to include him in here.


End file.
